Siamsa Tíre celebrates the return of live performance with a line-up of events that will keep audiences entertained throughout Autumn and into the Winter months.

Following the government’s latest announcement, the arts are back, and back with a bang. For the first time since lockdown in March 2020, Siamsa Tíre has reopened its doors for live events and announced an exciting Autumn/Winter programme of theatre, dance, music, art, and storytelling events.Throughout September, Turas – the theatre’s in-house production showcasing the best of traditional Irish music, song, and dance – will take centre stage. A special series of performances will take place on Culture Night, September 17th.

The autumn equinox marks one of the turning points of the year and as we move towards the dark days of winter, Siamsa Tíre begins preparing for the Celtic festival of Samhain. On September 23rd, it will launch the first element of this year’s festival. A Way Home/Slí Abhaile is a major commissioned art exhibition for children featuring artworks by 20 renowned children’s book illustrators, telling the fantastic tale of two young siblings’ adventures on Halloween, which has been specially written for the exhibition by Kerry children’s author, Olivia Hope.

October will be a theatrical month with two acclaimed plays to be staged at the theatre. Bottom Dog Theatre Company will present A Wilde Fan on Friday October 01st. Award winning actor, Myles Breen is one of Oscar Wilde’s biggest fans and this one-man show is his personal and theatrical take on the artist.

On Friday October 9th, Decadent Theatre Company will stage Eugene O’Brien’s award-winning drama Eden. As you might expect from the writer of RTÉ’s Pure Mule, this play explores serious issues with honesty, humour, and a touch of heartbreak.

The Irish Modern Dance Theatre will perform Dances for Inside and Outside on Saturday October 16th. Featuring dancers from Ireland, Angola, Poland, France, and Ethiopia, this show is a reflection upon what we have all lived through during the pandemic. It reflects our precarious hold on life, our need to be together, and the importance of sharing joy.

Monday October 25th marks the beginning of Siamsa Tíre’s Samhain Festival, which kicks off with a special event for parents and babies; I am Baba brings the tiniest visitors on a magical adventure of song, lights, and textures.

Children aged nine and upwards will enjoy Alice and the Wolf, which is scheduled for October 26th and 27th. This darkly funny re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood by Barnstorm Theatre Company follows a little girl as the people she plays games with online come searching for her in real life. One of them may just be the Big Bad Wolf!

On Saturday October 30th, storyteller Eddie Lenihan will enthral audiences with spooky stories of Halloween. To follow, audiences can catch up with the children who are part of the National Folk Theatre Training Academy whose latest piece, Púca, will be projected onto the outside walls of the theatre. They will be joined by The National Folk Theatre Choir who will perform a piece called Dorchadas. These performances are scheduled for 4pm and 5pm. Throughout the week, there will be a series of arts workshops suitable for young and old.

November kicks off with the welcome return of The National Circus Festival to Siamsa Tíre. On the 6th and 7th, Fanzini Productions will bring the stars of contemporary circus, street, and variety performance to the stage in a show that will thrill and amaze the entire family.

Fans of singer-songwriter Old Sea Legs – aka Ian Bermingham, the former frontman of Dublin Quartet The Eskies – will be delighted to hear that he’s performing at Siamsa Tíre on November 12th.

Music of a more classical kind will fill the auditorium on Thursday November 25th when the Irish National Opera will stage The Lighthouse, which is widely acknowledged as one of the operatic masterpieces of the 20th century.

More classical music will echo through Siamsa Tíre on Friday, December 10th, when the Ficino Quartet perform a programme featuring Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet, Deirdre McKay’s Mr Shah Stares to the Heavens, and Ligeti’s Métamorphoses Norturnes.

This brings us right up to the Christmas season at Siamsa Tíre. This year’s festive line-up includes the return of Abba a ballet performance of Nutcracker Sweeties by Ballet Ireland on the 18th and 19th, and the return of the annual pantomime from December 28th to 31st.

There’s something for all tastes and all ages in Siamsa Tíre’s autumn/winter line-up. You can view our latest online Event Guide HERE, For all event information and to book, visit www.siamsatire.com/events or call our friendly box office team on 066 7123055