Event of the week
Galway Comedy Festival
From Tuesday, October 21st, until Monday, October 27th, Pálás Cinema and other venues, various times and prices, galwaycomedyfestival.ie
Live comedy is booming, judging by the number of gigs, as well as by the number of comedy festivals: there seems to be one almost every month. And that’s without mentioning the residencies that big names such as Tommy Tiernan and Dara Ó Briain regularly take up at Vicar Street and elsewhere – Joanne McNally has announced 23 nights at the 3Olympia Theatre, in Dublin, between November this year and March 2026, and she’s well on her way to having sold out half of them. Galway Comedy Festival features the Irish comics Deirdre O’Kane, Andrew Maxwell, Emma Doran, Dylan Moran, David McSavage, Al Porter and Barry Murphy, as well as the international names Jack Dee, Omid Djalili, Rich Hall, Rhod Gilbert and Paul Smith (fresh from his sold-out shows at 3Arena, in Dublin, two weeks ago). Watch out also for Hector Ó hEochagáin hosting Irish-language comedy, at Gáire as Gaeilge; Polish-language stand-up, from Aleksandra Radomska; and Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience. Comedy podcasts featured are The Creep Dive, Keep It Tight, Eejits of the World, and How to Gael.
Gigs
Pillow Queens
Tuesday, October 21st, NCH, Dublin, 8pm, €45/€36.50/€28, nch.ie
And then there were three. Less than a year ago Pillow Queens announced the departure of their original member Rachel Lyons, the drummer. But the remaining trio of Pamela Connolly, Sarah Corcoran and Cathy McGuinness are still a fully functional group, and raring to go. This show, part of the NCH Landmarks series, sees the band perform In Waiting, their debut album, from 2020, in its entirety, along with selections from their subsequent (indeed, better) albums, Leave the Light On and Name Your Sorrow. Highly recommended.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Wednesday, October 22nd, and Thursday, October 23rd, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7.30pm, €65, ticketmaster.ie
Described by the New Yorker magazine as “innovative and obliquely reminiscent of past rural forms”, the US songwriters Gillian Welch and David Rawlings present the antithesis of happy love songs through a series of slow-motion, hypnotic Americana that incorporates classic country, bluegrass, jazz notes and hints of rhythm’n’blues. The duo’s latest album, Woodland, won the 2025 Grammy Award for best folk album. Sit back and be mesmerised.
Benson Boone
Friday, October 24th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €88.90/€78.90/€71.90 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
TikTok has been central to the rapid success of Benson Boone. In 2021, when the singer-songwriter from Washington state posted snippets of his music on the video-sharing platform, he caught the attention of Imagine Dragons’ frontman, Dan Reynolds, who promptly signed him to his record label. Within two years Boone was supporting Taylor Swift and gaining considerable traction across social media. At this gig he’ll be plugging his latest album, American Heart, which, according to the Arts Desk website, pulses with nostalgic grooves and infectious hooks.
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Guinness Cork Jazz Festival
From Thursday, October 23rd, until Monday, October 27th, various venues, times and prices, Cork city, guinnesscorkjazz.com
Of the numerous headline acts on this festival’s website, only a handful could really be defined as jazz: the saxophonist, composer and bandleader Nubya Garcia, the spiritual jazzer Carlos Niño, the saxophonist and flautist Chip Wickham and the singer Norma Winstone. But there’s much that will appeal to music fans more generally, from hip-hop (The Pharcyde, Maverick Sabre, Rejjie Snow, God Knows, Saul Williams) and funk/soul (Cymande, Lee Fields and the Expressions) to higher-consciousness, deep-listening jazz (Jean Phi Dary, Prabhu Edouard, Matthieu Michel, Colin Vallon, James Holden and Waclaw Zimpel) that aficionados will very much appreciate. Lower down the festival bill are some strong Irish acts, including Jape, Le Boom, Zaska, Tolü Makay, King Kong Company and Mas Exodus.
Festival
Sligo Live
From Friday, October 24th, until Sunday, November 2nd, various venues, times and prices, Sligo town, sligolive.ie
Sligo Live marks its 20th anniversary with a line-up that brings together Irish and international names. The former include Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill (Knocknarea Arena, Friday, October 24th), Sharon Shannon Big Band & Guests (Knocknarea Arena, Saturday, October 25th), the comedian Dylan Moran (Hawk’s Well Theatre, Monday, October 27th) and the singer-songwriter Luka Bloom (Hawk’s Well Theatre, Thursday, October 30th). International acts include the US performers Steve Earle (Knocknarea Arena, Saturday, October 25th), Mary Gauthier (Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sunday, October 26th) and Frazey Ford (Hawk’s Well Theatre, Tuesday, October 28th).
Film
IFI Horrorthon
Thursday-Monday, October 23rd-27th, various times and prices, IFI, Dublin, ifi.ie/horrorthon
If it’s the final week of October, then it has to be Horrorthon, the Irish Film Institute’s annual spookfest of movies you shouldn’t (but will) watch with the lights off. Sandwiched between the opening film, Shelby Oaks (“a little Blair Witch, a little Silent Hill, a little Ringu”, according to Empire magazine) and the festival closer, Dust Bunny (directed by Bryan Fuller, the Hannibal TV series creator), are scares galore. These include 40th-anniversary screenings of Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator and Lamberto Bava’s Demons, the first Irish screening of a 4K restoration of Neil Marshall’s superb The Descent, from 2005, a horrifying table quiz, a Vampire’s Ball (featuring Let the Right One In, Tomas Alfredson’s 2008 film), and the always highly anticipated surprise film.
Still running
Westival
From Wednesday, October 22nd, until Monday, October 27th, various venues, times and prices, Westport, Co Mayo, westival.ie
This durable festival – it was founded 50 years ago – continues to impress with a wide-ranging programme of events that celebrate community as well as creativity. Highlights include a concert from Westport resident (and former Chieftains member) Matt Molloy, a screening of The General, Buster Keaton’s 1926 silent film, and the acclaimed chamber-music ensemble Cassiopeia Winds.
Book it this week
John Bramwell, Bello Bar, Dublin, February 13th-14th, foggynotions.ie
Reneé Rapp, 3Arena, Dublin, March 22nd, ticketmaster.ie
Alison Spittle, Vicar Street, Dublin, April 11th, ticketmaster.ie
Curtis Stigers, Everyman Theatre, Cork, May 1st, everymancork.com
