Your guide to live music for May, June, July and August in 2026 from CMAT, Forbidden Fruit, Fontaines DC, The Cure to Electric Picnic

Irish acts including The Mary Wallopers, Florence Road and Madra Salach have joined the line-up too

The podcaster Blindboy Boatclub on autism, social media and mental health

Here’s our round-up of cultural showcases to catch this year, from TradFest and Electric Picnic to West Cork Literary Festival and more

The biggest live events of the year ahead, from Emmylou Harris in January to Interpol and Bloc Party in November

From CMAT to Chappell Roan, and Maria Somerville to Rosalía, women have ruled the industry this year

Success of Kingfishr’s Killeagh, written ‘as a joke’ about the parish’s hurling team, has been just one high point in the biggest year of the folk trio’s lives

This year’s festival in Stradbally, Co Laois, is sold out, with 80,000 expected to attend

Creditors’ meeting called amid dispute over disciplinary moves against sole full-time employee

Kevin Parker staggers through this underwhelming, repetitive LP in a state of more or less permanent perturbation

Spending in September jumped 10% on a year earlier, according to AIB card data

Irish rap trio will have to cancel October tour dates in Toronto and Vancouver after government decision

Seasonal workers are the backbone of operations at festivities like the National Ploughing Championships

MDMA tablet was one of 110 drug samples voluntarily submitted through the HSE programme at festival

The Women’s Podcast with Róisín Ingle

Tickets have already been snapped up, but what do we know about next year’s festival?

If you go down to the woods: Frank McNally on a long, dark night of no soul in Stradbally

From Chappell Roan on the Main Stage to expensive food, festivalgoers share their highs and lows

From Kneecap on the Main Stage to lots of laughs at Trailer Park, thousands enjoyed three days of music, culture and craic at Electric Picnic 2025

The Followills may not seem to be having much fun, but they deliver the hits the audience have come for