The 27th annual Éigse Carlow Arts Festival opens its mixed-media art and music festival tonight.
The founder of the Irish Georgian Society, Dr Desmond Guinness, will officially open the 2002 event in the company of the Café Orchestra.
This year the visual programme combines painting, sculpture, print, film and performance art from international and Irish artists.
Contemporary Irish sculptor, Michael Quane, will be showing his works in marble and limestone while the large and distinctive works in oil of British painter, Gillian Ayres, will be on display.
A variety of mixed-media workshops and talks will take place throughout the festival while the music on offer ranges from classical to trad' and from rock music to jazz.
Craft exhibitions, film, street performances and poetry readings will also feature as part of the festival. A highlight of that programme, which continues until June 23rd, is the appearance of renowned Australian poet, Les Murray, on June 15th.