Welcome to the programme of the Athenry MAD Festival. We kindly acknowledge the support of:
This years event is also supported by and is proud to be associated with Galway County Council Creative Ireland Programme.
Now in its 6th year, the Athenry MAD Festival is designed to be inclusive and accessible for all ages to enjoy. Many of the events are free to attend or ticket prices are discounted with support from our sponsors, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and funding through the Creative Ireland Programme.
Enjoy our progamme for 2023, its gonna be a MAD weekend.
Friday 15th September: Athenry Choir 6:00pm
Venue Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Garden
We are pleased to announce that Athenry Choir will perform in the festival garden of the Athenry Heritage Centre.
This is the first time in 2 years that the choir has performed together, so it will be a special moment for all the singers.
Enjoy the harminous sounds of Athenry Choir.
Its going to be special.
Saturday 16th September; Storytelling with Moth & Butterfly 11:15am Free
Venue Athenry Library
Join the amazing Moth & Butterfly in Athenry Library as they spin their tales and enchant the young and old.
Lots of fun for all the family to enjoy and grab a book too. Thanks to Galway County Library Services for hosting this event and to Athenry Credit Union for their support.
Saturday 16th September: Drumadore
Venue Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Garden
10:30am-12:00pm Free Age 5+
Children will be thrilled with the return of Drumadore to the Athenry MAD Festival. Enjoy a fun filled morning with the Drumadore team as they create magic rhythm's in the festival garden.
This workshop is open for all age groups and is accessible for all.
Saturday 16th September: Puppet Making Workshop with Elaine Cunningham
Venue Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Garden 12:30pm Age 6+
Meet local artist Elaine Cunningham and experience the thrill of making you very own puppets.
Elaine will be demonstrating how puppets work big and small and then they will make very their own marionettes and finger/hand puppets they can use and bring home with them .
the workshop concludes with a puppet show or two at the end.
Saturday 16th September: Make your Own Tote Bag with Maria Hitchcox 8+
Venue: Athenry Heritage Centre Garden 2:00pm-3:30pm
Meet local artist Maria Hitchox as she curates this great tote bag making workshop.
In this class, you will be up cycling and designing tote bags of your own design.
Its an opportunity to design your very own tote bag for you or your family.
Don't forget it'll make a great Christmas present.
Duration 1 1/2 hours. Max 12 students . Suitable for ages 12-16 years.
Saturday 16th September: Meet the Artist: Donnacha Cahill Sculptor
Venue: Maddens Forge 2:00pm-4:00pm
We are proud to present a meet the artist event with local sculpture Donnacha Cahill.
Donnacha Cahill is a west of Ireland sculptor specialising in Bronze and Steel. A Fine-Art graduate from the ‘Galway Mayo Institute of Technology’, Donnacha is renowned for his ability to create sculpture that tells a story but also allows the viewer to interpret the work with their own narrative. Donnacha has created work for both public and private collections. His work is highly collectible and is currently in private collections across the globe. He also exhibited at this years RHS Flower Show in London.
This event will be held in Maddens Forge, an iconic landmark building under the care of the Athenry Arts & Heritage Centre.
Donnacha believes in creating work that acts as a vessel to inspire and tell stories. He is inspired by his every day surrounding and observations from his home in Athenry, Co Galway.
Saturday 16th September: Cat Calling Outside AIB
The MAD Festival presents a pop up musical event outside the AIB in Athenry.
Enjoy the musical fun as our magical musicians play for your enjoyment and fun.
Expect the unexpected from this duo.
Thanks to the AIB for sponsoring this event.
Saturday 16th September: Remembering Seamus Heaney
Venue: Athenry Heritage Centre 5:00pm-6:30pm Free 12+
Recognised as one of the major poets of the 20th century, the Athenry MAD Festival will be presenting a panel discussion on the 10th anniversary of his death.
Raised in County Derry, Seamus Heaney then lived in Dublin for many years. His works of poetry garnered him an international reputation which culminated in his Nobel Prize win for Literature in 1995 "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past."
The panel will be chaired by Aoibheann McCann and joining her for this special event will be fellow writers and poets Alan McMonagle, Celeste Auge and Maire T Robinson.
This event has limited capacity so please be advised to arrive early to secure a seat.
The Panel for this event consists of:
Aoibheann McCann lives in Galway where she performs, and writes fiction, non-fiction and the occasional poem. Her first novel Marina was published in 2018. She co-writes, produces, directs and acts in chart topping audio comedy Retreat! Aoibheann is currently working on her first collection of short fiction and a second series of Retreat.
Celeste Augé is the author of the poetry collections I Imagine Myself, Skip Diving, The Essential Guide to Flight and the collection of short stories Fireproof and Other Stories. Celeste’s poetry has been shortlisted for a Hennessy Award and her short story 'The Good Boat' won the Cúirt New Writing Prize for fiction. She lives in Connemara, in the West of Ireland.
Máire T. Robinson is a writer and workshop facilitator living in County Galway. She is the author of short story chapbook Your Mixtape Unravels My Heart (2013) and novel Skin, Paper, Stone (2015). Máire was awarded a bursary award from the Arts Council in 2020 to complete a folklore-inspired short story collection. Some of her recent short fiction has appeared in Southword, Trasna, and ROPES.
Alan McMonagle lives in Galway. In 2015, he signed a two-book deal with Picador, and in 2017, Ithaca, his first novel was published and nominated for the Desmond Elliott Award for first novels, the Dublin literary Award and shortlisted for a Bord Gais Irish Book Award. He has published two collections of short stories (Psychotic Episodes, Arlen House, 2013 and Liar Liar, Wordsonthestreet, 2008), both of which were nominated for the Frank O'Connor Award. He also writes for radio and his plays, Oscar Night, People Walking On Water, Shirley Temple Killer Queen and Pink Moon have been produced and broadcast as part of RTE's Drama on One season. His second novel, Laura Cassidy's Walk Of Fame, was published in 2020.
Saturday 16th September Tricia Fahy Art Exhibition
Venue: Newpark Hotel 6:30pm-10:00pm
The Athenry MAD Festival is pleased to support local artist Tricia Fahy with her solo exhibition show in the Newpark Hotel.
Tricia will be opening her show on Saturday 16th September with an informal reception from 6:30pm.
As a local artist, Tricia is no stranger to the art world and has exhibited many times in the locality. Her exhibition is a culmination of 15 years of artwork.
This will be an excellent time to invest in art and meet the artist too.
The official opening will be artist and founder of the Galway International Arts Festival Ted Turton.
Saturday 16th September Aindrias de Staic Free Book Tickets
Venue: Athenry Heritage Festival Garden 8:00pm 18+
Join us for a magical night of music and craic with Aindrias de Staic and his band in the ambient setting of the Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Garden.
Aindrias is a fiddle player and one of the new generation of Irish Storytellers. His range of music styles has engaged audiences all around the world and the Athenry MAD Festival is proud to bring him to Athenry.
Enjoy a night with family and friends
This event is part of Galway County Council Creative Ireland Programme and we thank them for their support.
Sunday 17th September: Helen Gannon & Friends Piano Concert
Venue Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Garden 9:30am Free
Its a musical start to our Sunday programme with Helen Gannon & Friends in the garden of the Athenry Heritage Centre.
The programme commences at 10:30am with a varied selection of classical to modern day tunes for all the family to enjoy.
This popular event is always well attended so please arrive on time.
No booking is necessary.
Sunday 17th September: Kids Craft Workshop with Maria Hitchcox 7+
Children will love this workshop presented Maria Hitchox.
This make and do children's workshop will provide all the materials to make and design your very own stain glass (plastic) sun catcher.
Each design will be unique and makes the perfect gift for family or friend's or maybe just for yourself.
We ask that parents remain during the workshop and join in too.
Sunday 17th September Family Fun day 2:00pm-5:00pm Free Book Tickets
Venue Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Garden
Roll up, roll up, roll up for the Athenry MAD Festival Arts Extravaganza.
Come along to this free family event which has all the fun of the fair plus live music too.
Meet St. Patrick's Brass Band from Galway City. This amazing ensemble of musicians will start your day with a musical bang.
Fruity & Dishy circus entertainers will thrill the children with their skills and the Gliondor stilt walkers will be parading throughout the day.
Jay Ryan and his amazing fleas circus will be performing his pop up shows and kids will love the face painting too.
The afternoon closes with the funktastic Big Jelly. A soulful band that hits all the right notes.
Sunday 17th September: Sherlock Jnr with Little John Nee & Finn Robinson 7:00pm Free
Venue Athenry Heritage Centre Festival Tickets Book Tickets
Little John Nee and Fionn Robinson using the very latest in technology
including gramophones, electrical musical instruments, a steam iron,
modern valve amplification and fashionable synthetic sounds shall
voyage over 100 years back in time in a courageous attempt to
collaborate with the flickering ghosts of the early silver screen. They
have composed a new musical soundtrack to Buster Keaton’s classic
Sherlock Jr. commissioned by The Regional Cultural Centre Letterkenny
where it premiered as part of the “Sound Film Soundtrack Festival in April 2023.
Sunday 17th September: Dungeon & Dragons
Venue Crowe's Bar 6:30pm-9:30pm Over 18 Only Book Tickets
Join in for a night of fun and chaos to close out Athenry's MAD Festival! Athenry Adventurers will be taking over the back area of Crowe's Bar, with multiple tables of one-shots led by a team of Game Masters. If you've never played or are a bit rusty, now is the perfect opportunity! There will be a mix of tables for beginners and higher levels, so there will be something for everyone.
All materials provided, but if you have RPG dice, bring them along!
Experience the biggest Tabletop Role Playing game in the world. A skilled team of Dungeon Masters will be your guides in the fantasy world of DnD, where you get to be the hero. Whether it be a victorious adventure or a tragic failure, the dice will decide. Either way the story is going to be epic.
Tickets are limited so be sure to book your in advance to avoid disappointment.
Welcome to the Athenry Arts & Heritage Centre Nollaig Beo event.
This year's Culture Night is a very special night for the Athenry Arts & Heritage Centre as Macnas in partnership with Galway County Arts Office bring Crom to the medieval streets of Athenry.
Steve Scott will exhibit his photographs in Athenry Park from 5:30pm. 
7:30pm
ATHVENTURECON 
Nollaig Beo This event is now sold out
