Popular country singer Mike Denver will bring his high-energy set to Clifden’s Town Hall on Friday September 19 at 9pm for the annual Clifden Arts Festival.

He’s promising a night of sing-along anthems, dancing, and pure fun at the festival which opens on September 17 and runs until September 28.

History will be the focus of a talk from Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill on Tuesday, September 23. The local historian will speak on Fr Thomas Flannery (1853–1891), a social campaigner whose fearless advocacy on behalf of Connemara’s people still resonates. That’s at 11am in the Station House Theatre.

Later that afternoon, at 5pm, Macha Press will present Sam Furlong and Eilish Martin in a celebration of contemporary writing. That’s in the Station House’s Omey Suite.

Another double-bill in the same venue on the same day will pair Luke Morgan, the winner of the 2025 Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry, with Tuam songwriter and poet Séamus Ruttledge. It’s at 5pm on September 23.

Clare Island’s Niall McCabe, acclaimed for his soulful voice and engaging stage presence, will play an intimate concert blending modern folk with stories rooted in island life, also on Tuesday September 23. That’s at 9pm in the Station House Theatre.

The festival will shine a light on nature with Plight of the Bumblebee, a short film accompanied by live music from Brenda Castles (concertina), Tony Byrne (guitar) and Erin Hennessey (violin). This  moving exploration of folklore, ecology and the fragile beauty of bees, will be screened on Thursday, September 25, at 11am, in the Station House Theatre.

And in a conversation exploring sport and society, Ciarán Murphy will discuss his acclaimed book, Old Parish – Notes on Hurling, with journalist Sinéad O’Carroll. That conversation on Friday, September 26 at 5pm in the Omey Suite of the Station House will examine why Ireland’s national game carries such cultural power.

This year’s programme also includes the Irish première of Lumières: A Baroque Mass for the 21st Century by the late French composer Jacques Loussier.

This special performance takes place on Sunday, September 21, at 5pm in St Joseph’s Church.

Bringing together two of the West of Ireland’s finest choirs – Cantairí Chonamara and Cór Mhaigh Eo – the concert will fuse the grandeur of Baroque counterpoint with the rhythmic vitality and improvisation of jazz.

Loussier, who is renowned for his Play Bach recordings, has described Lumières as a work to “exalt the spirit” and connect across beliefs.

His setting of the Latin Mass blends classical voices with rock rhythms, modern harmonies and inventive instrumental textures, creating a moving soundscape that blends traditional and contemporary.

The performance will be conducted by Máire Ní Dhuibhir, Musical Director of Cantairí Chonamara, with a top-class ensemble of soloists and instrumentalists.

The Festival’s Artistic Director, Des Lally says Lumières is “a  work that captures what our festival is about – respecting tradition while embracing the new. Hearing these two choirs together will be a rare and powerful experience”.

Since being founded in 1999, Cantairí Chonamara has earned a reputation for versatility and excellence, performing everything from early sacred music to contemporary choral works.

And the Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) will perform its seasonal Water Music programme at the Festival on Friday, September 19.

Under the baton of acclaimed conductor, Richard Egarr it will feature Deirdre McKay’s Meltwater, “a hauntingly beautiful meditation on change and nature’s quiet power”.

This performance from Ireland’s national chamber orchestra will also include the Baroque classic that is Handel’s Water Music.

The Clifden concert from the ICO is part of a three-venue tour which will include the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin the previous evening and the ICO’s base at UL’s University Concert Hall the following night.

The group is in St Joseph’s Church on Friday, September 19, at 7.30pm.

“These events show exactly why people travel from near and far to Clifden each year,” says Des Lally.

Tickets for all events are available from the box office, online as well as on the door, if available. More information and booking at www.clifdenartsfestival.ie

Pictured: The Irish Chamber Orchestra will be in St Joseph’s Church on September 19.