The official opening of Mallow Arts Festival took place yesterday, Wednesday, with Raphael Olympio doing the honours, and there was a big attendance in in West End Art Studios for the occasion which was followed by a special show in the Hibernian Hotel, honouring the memory of Mallow-born ballet star Joan Denise Moriarty, plus a concert featuring One Town One Voice Mallow, Barry Ford, Clinton Idehen, and Mallow Musical Society.
Events on the programme for the next few days are as follows;
Thursday
The day will begin at 10am in Herlihy’s Centra, where Blackwater Photographic Society will open a photographic exhibition, while at the same time the Irish Wheelchair Association will open an exhibition in Mallow Credit Union. Also at 10am, Maureen Flynn will sing a varied selection of songs in Foley’s Supermarket, Ballydaheen, and at 11.15am will repeat the performance outside Sugrue’s on O’Brien Street. At 11am, Noel Walsh will be in the Globe Café, playing his lovely classical guitar melodies.
At 12 noon, Mallow Book Festival will get underway in the Hibernian Hotel, and at the same time in St James’s Church there will be a Children’s Art Workshop with Elizabeth Bixler.
At 7pm in Mona’s Bar, Sabrina Lucas and Jennifer O’Connor will hold a Paint and Sip event, where people can combine a painting session with the added attraction of a glass of wine.
This will be followed at 8pm by one of the most anticipated Arts Festival events, with legendary folk rock group Loudest Whisper playing in St James’s Church, an event not to be missed.
The day’s events will conclude at 10pm with Johnny ‘Bongos’ Horgan hosting his excellent Swan Sessions in the Hibernian Hotel.
Friday
Friday’s events will begin at 10am with a literary morning in the Hibernian Hotel, followed at 11am by a Foraging Walk in the grounds of Mallow Castle, led by Mallow native Chloe Dempsey of Ferment Forest Grow.
At 1pm in St James’s Hall there will be a Festival Jam Session, open to teens to being their instruments for a jam session.
At 2pm on Lidl Plaza, ‘Chalk it Down’ will see children aged 6-12 create chalk artwork, and the drawing will be complemented by a Sing it Up’ session, where young people will make music together.
Also at 2pm, singer/songwriter Steve Hunt will present ‘A Curious Plenty’, creating a landscape of memories and emotions.
History fans won’t want to miss the Mallow Field Club event in the Spa area of the town at 3pm, where Kevin Myers will tell the full story of this historic part on the town, and there will also be an opportunity to see the famous ‘Spa Well’.
In Mallow Library at 3pm, Molly Twomey will conduct a Poetry Reading Workshop, and one hour later in West End Art Studios, Niamh Twomey will explore sustainable arts practice and environmentally friendly alternatives for artists.
St James’s Hall will be the setting at 6pm for the showing of a film by Ciara Hyland which tells the story of the gay women contributed to the fight for Irish independence.
One of the main highlights of the Arts Festival will be the return visit of Sean Keane, sister of the recently-deceased Dolores, who will perform in the beautiful surroundings of St James’s Church at 8pm. This is a not-to-be-missed gig.
To finish the day’s events, Zlatan and the Kudos Trio will play the best jazz stylings at 10pm in O’Keeffe’s bar, followed 30 minutes later by West Cork singer Molly O’Mahony who will be in Kepplers.
Saturday
Saturday’s events will kick off in style at 10am (with further shows at 12 noon and 2pm) with a Wobbly Circus Workshop in the Hibernian Hotel, while yoga enthusiasts will be in Mallow castle at 10.30am for slow and relaxing yoga in the open air.
At 11am in Mallow Library, ‘A Trip Down Memory Lane’ will showcase moments and milestones from Mallow’s recent decades, celebrated through photographs and songs. This event is open to everyone, especially people from Mallow and North Cork who are living with dementia.
Also at 11am there will be a felting workshop in West End Art Studios, followed at 12 noon in Philip’s Bookshop by the launch of the book ‘Have I Got your Attention’, a guide to adult ADHD.
For Mallow Arts Festival every year, a mural is created, and this year’s location will be the pumphouse along the banks of the River Blackwater. Work on this will start at 11.30am.
Classically-trained violinist and songwriter Ali Comerford will perform at St James’s Church at 1pm, while Sean Goggin will be at the Globe Café at 2pm.
‘The Streets are Alive’, starting at 2pm, will see singers and musicians at many locations around the town, and for young people there will be Kidz’ World in St Mary’s Church yard, with balloon making, face painting, bubbles and Mad hatter characters.
Mallow’s own Highly Strung Ukulele Group will be in O’Keeffe’s Bar from 3pm, while the Mixed doubles Saxaphone Quartet will be playing in St James’s Church from 3pm. St James’s Church will also be the venue for a performance by Hispanic duo Zurito at 5.00pm.
At 8.pm the big concert in St James’s Church will feature Dr. Strangely Strange, the veteran Irish experimental psychedelic folk group who recently returned to live performance after a break of 35 years.
To round out the day’s events, Nick Kelly, of Fat Lady Sings fame, will play from 10pm in Kepplers.
Sunday, 26th July
Sunday is the last day of the festival, and it will go out in style, starting at 11.00am with the launch of a book, Seamus O Tuama’s ‘Béal Feiriste Belfast’ in Mallow Book Shop, and down the street in the Hibernian Hotel there will be a CD and Record Fair which will run until 4pm. Also in the Hibernian Hotel, there will be a Storytime Party for children aged 4 to 10, starting at 11am.
Down on the plaza at 12 noon, there will be some joyous melodies from the Nigerian Church Choir, while St James’s Hall will be the venue at 1.30pm for an Uilleann Pipe Workshop.
The action moves to the grounds of Mallow Castle at 2.30pm for Life Drawing with artist Eoin Coveney. Bring your drawing materials and a large sketchbook (A3 size or larger), and learn how to draw the human form.
At 4pm, there will be a Dreamcatcher Making Workshop in West End Gallery, and the Cork Pipers Club and Friends will be in the Bridge House Bar at 5.30pm, while local favourites Cór Mhágh Ealla will sing a special festival selection of melodies in St James’s Church at 6.30pm.
St James’s Church will be the venue for the final day’s big concert, ‘Songs and Souls’, featuring unforgettable voices from the plays of Deirdre Kinihan, plus live music from legendary Fiddler Steve Wickham, of Waterboys fame. This unique collaboration blends theatre, music and memory, while inviting the audience into a world of ghosts, riddles and rhythms of the heart.
And last but certainly not least, the final event of Mallow Arts Festival 2006 is Latin Fellas and Co., playing a mixture of songs, old and new, in Spanish and English with a happy Latin vibe.
There is something for everyone to enjoy at the 2026 Mallow Arts Festival, and with many of the events being free of charge, the organising committee deserves great credit for putting together such a diverse programme.