Mayo gears up for autumn of cultural exchange with €5m investment

Mayo is set for an autumn of cultural exchange as a programme of music, visual art, performance and poetry gets underway as part of Cultúr 2026, Ireland’s official cultural programme marking the country’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The programme is supported by a €5 million investment from the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and is presented by Culture Ireland.

Minister O’Donovan said it was important that Ireland’s Presidency should be celebrated not only across Europe but also within communities around the country.

“Our culture is rooted in people and place, in our artists, our language, our heritage and our communities,” he said. “Through Cultúr 2026, we are creating opportunities for people to come together, experience the arts and celebrate the culture we share.”

Working with Local Authorities across Ireland, the programme has been developed to reflect the artistic and cultural identity of individual counties while creating opportunities for international collaboration and exchange.

In Mayo, the programme draws on the county’s strong connections with language, landscape, music, storytelling and tradition, while exploring the cultural links between communities along Europe’s Atlantic coast.

Events will take place in Castlebar, Ballyhaunis, Foxford, Ballintubber and Louisburgh, with local artists and communities connecting with European traditions through music, visual art, literature, performance and public art.

The Mayo programme opens at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Wednesday, September 16 at 7:30 pm with ‘Inter-Weave’', a European cultural exchange celebrating the musical traditions of Ireland, Brittany, Galicia and Asturias.

Renowned traditional musicians Diarmaid Moynihan, Laoise Kelly, Tóla Custy and Emer Mayock will explore the distinctive musical traditions of Europe’s Atlantic fringe, from ancient melodies and traditional forms to contemporary compositions.

The performance will run alongside the multimedia exhibition ‘Song of the Lost Field / Amhrán na Páirce Caillte ', which explores Irish heritage and memory. Poet, translator and scholar Dr Lorna Shaughnessy will also examine the cultural connections between Ireland, Galicia, Brittany and Asturias.

Contemporary street art will then take centre stage in Ballyhaunis Community School on September 26 and October 3, as Mayo takes part in ‘Waterford Walls: The EU Walls Project'.

The workshops will introduce young people to graffiti and mural art, covering techniques including spray painting, sketch development, colour layering and large-scale composition. The project also allows communities across Ireland to nominate a permanent wall for a landmark mural celebrating Ireland’s EU Presidency.

In Foxford, the Moy Hotel will host ‘A Celebration of Irish, Breton and Basque Music’ on Saturday, October 17 at 8:00 pm.

The concert will bring together Irish musical collective CUAS with leading European artists, exploring the shared instruments, rhythms and storytelling traditions of Ireland, Brittany and the Basque region of Spain.

An interactive workshop and discussion will follow on Sunday, led by internationally recognised traditional musician Niamh Ní Charra and featuring Breton, Basque and Irish musicians.

The programme will continue at Ballintubber Abbey on Sunday, November 22 at 4:45 pm, when two Mayo community choirs will join forces for the ‘Fauré and Stanford Concert’.

Cór Mhaigh Eo, directed by Kathy Quinn, and Louisburgh Voices, directed by Dr Pauline Graham, will perform Gabriel Fauré’s ‘Requiem’ and Jules Massenet’s ‘Méditation', alongside instrumental music by Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford.

They will be joined by soprano Pauline Graham, baritone Owen Gilhooly-Miles, organist Michael Quinn and the internationally acclaimed ConTempo Quartet.

Irish musicologist Professor Harry White will open the event with a discussion on the relationship between Irish and European classical traditions and the development of Ireland’s musical identity within a wider European context.

The Mayo programme will conclude in Louisburgh from December 1-6 with ‘Listening to the Land: Poetry & Music from Europe’s Edges’, a new site-responsive project conceived and led by Irish musician-composer Bianca Gannon.

Taking place at Books at One and along the Bunowen River, the project will explore the connections between language, landscape, memory and identity through sound installations, poetry, a soundwalk and live performance.

The project will bring Irish-language poetry into dialogue with contemporary poetry from across Europe, with a particular focus on minority languages.

Sound installations will be open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, culminating in a special live event on Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm. Bianca Gannon will be joined by poet, singer and Irish-language advocate Amano De Londra Miura (Amano Anseo) for an evening of music, readings and discussion.

Anna Livia Cullinan, Creative Communities Engagement Officer with Mayo County Council, said the council was delighted to coordinate the county’s programme.

“This programme brings together artists, communities and cultural partners from across the county and beyond, celebrating both our local identity and our place within a wider European cultural landscape,” she said.

Together, the Mayo events will celebrate the county’s distinctive cultural identity while highlighting its connections with Europe, from the shared Atlantic musical traditions explored in Castlebar, to street art in Ballyhaunis, Irish, Breton and Basque music in Foxford, European classical music at Ballintubber Abbey and minority-language poetry in Louisburgh.

The programme aims to create new opportunities for cultural exchange while bringing the spirit of Ireland’s EU Presidency directly into communities across Mayo.