Visit

Sligo took centre stage last week during a high-profile tourism sales mission to Bonn, Germany, led in partnership with Ireland West Airport Knock and Tourism Ireland. The mission aimed to position the northern half of the Wild Atlantic Way – including Sligo – as a must-visit destination for German travellers seeking nature, adventure, and authentic cultural experiences.

The delegation from Sligo highlighted the county’s stunning natural beauty, world-renowned landscapes, and its vibrant activity and adventure offering – from hiking and surfing to wild swimming and cultural discovery. Sligo’s unique cultural rhythm, shaped by music, myth, and heritage, resonated strongly with German travel trade professionals and media who attended.

Key tourism partners from Sligo took part in the event, including the National Surf Centre in Strandhill, the Ocean Sands Hotel in Enniscrone, and the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Sligo. Their presence underscored the county’s readiness to welcome international visitors with a diverse and high-quality tourism offering.

The sales mission formed part of a collaborative campaign alongside neighbouring counties to promote the northern stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. This joint approach gave travel trade contacts in Germany a deeper understanding of the region’s value as a touring destination, encouraging longer stays and increased interest in multi-county itineraries.

The German market remains one of Ireland’s most important for inbound tourism, with visitors placing high value on sustainable travel, unspoiled nature, and outdoor experiences – all of which Sligo delivers in abundance.

This initiative builds on the momentum of ongoing international marketing efforts and strengthens Sligo’s reputation as a world-class, year-round destination full of adventure, culture, and natural charm.

The tourism section of Sligo County Council has launched a major tourism innovation which creates personalised itineraries — the Ideas Engine.

This new digital tool is powered by local data and expertise along with a sprinkling of AI, and allows users to generate personalised travel itineraries for visiting Sligo. It is the first tool of its kind to be introduced anywhere in Ireland, and it marks a bold step forward in how destinations can inspire and guide potential visitors.

It sits on the main www.sligo.ie website and does not require any app download. The Ideas Engine uses a rich local dataset and smart AI technology to recommend experiences, attractions, and events based on each user’s unique interests.

Whether the user is a young family, a solo adventurer, a couple on a wellness break, a group or a music lover planning a trip around a festival — the platform responds in real time with a curated journey tailored to them.

For the travel trade, this tool is invaluable. It enables instant itinerary generation tailored to client profiles, event-inclusive travel planning thanks to live festival integration, wider regional representation, showcasing all parts of County Sligo and an inspiration-based sales resource for tour operators and travel advisors

Importantly, the Ideas Engine is also a helpful tool for locals who host friends or family, helping them suggest activities and events happening during their guests’ stay — from surfing or playing golf, to walks and hikes and artisan food trails.

For businesses like hotels it acts as visitor servicing tool and helps to save time at reception along with helping to inspire visitors on websites and social media.

Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Declan Bree has welcomed its introduction and said “This is a transformative moment for Sligo and for tourism promotion in Ireland. The Ideas Engine reimagines how we connect with visitors — and it sets a new standard. We’re proud to lead the way, thanks to the vision of our tourism team and the innovation of ATU students who helped bring it to life.”

Located on the Wild Atlantic Way, Sligo is already known for its natural beauty and cultural vibrancy — and now it has the digital tools to match. The Ideas Engine is live now and available to the public and trade alike via https://www.sligo.ie/visit/ideas-engine/

Cairde Sligo Arts Festival has officially launched its full line-up for 2025, offering a vibrant programme bursting with music, literature, theatre, circus and spectacle across Sligo from 05 – 12 July.

Musical Highlights
This year’s festival presents an exceptional music line-up, featuring some of the most exciting voices in traditional, contemporary and world music. Featuring musical giants like Cormac Begley and Ríoghnach Connolly, and global music from Macalla and Zimbabwe’s Gonora Sounds. A brand-new music commission by Natalia Beylis and new music by Eimear Reidy, Tara Baoth Mooney and Diarmuid MacDiarmada, offer immersive, boundary-pushing sonic experiences that connect place, myth and memory.

Irish Music

● The Breath with support by Dee Armstrong – Thurs 10 July @ 9pm | Juniper Barn
The Breath, composed of guitarist Stuart McCallum (The Cinematic Orchestra) and singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly (RTÉ Best Folk Singer 2025) – craft a contemporary blend of alt-folk with raw, heartfelt storytelling. Ríoghnach’s powerful, soulful voice paired with Stuart’s understated guitar brilliance creates an intimate yet expansive sound. Supported by Dee Armstrong with her sons Diarmuid and Lughaidh Armstrong.
Admission: €25

● Cormac Begley with support by Lemoncello – Sat 05 July @ 8pm | Hawk’s Well Theatre
A master of the concertina, Cormac Begley’s immersive solo performances have captivated audiences worldwide. Begley blends tradition with bold innovation and his show promises to be an unforgettable musical experience for both seasoned trad fans and curious newcomers. Support act Lemoncello fuses Irish folk with indie pop, jazz and classical music. The alt-folk duo’s hypnotic blend of voice, cello and guitar creates a minimal and dramatic soundscape, earning them RTÉ Folk Award nominations for Best Folk Song and Emerging Folk Act.
Admission: €30 / €15 under 18’s

● Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh – Mon 07 July @ 6pm | Markree Castle
Renowned Irish musician Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, known for his role in musical groups The Gloaming and This is How We Fly, will give a solo performance on his 10-string fiddle, the hardanger d’amore, at the picturesque Markree Castle. Following the concert, attendees can enjoy an optional three-course dinner hosted by Markree Castle. Dinner tickets are limited – be sure to reserve yours early.
Admission: €20 concert only / €60 concert + dinner

World Music

● Gonora Sounds – Sat 02 July @ 8pm | Hawk’s Well Theatre From busking on the streets of Zimbabwe to performing on global stages, Gonora Sounds bring their infectious rhythms to the Hawk’s Well Theatre this July. This family band is led by visionary guitarist and songwriter Daniel Gonora, alongside his teenage son Isaac on drums, Malizani Mbewe on bass, Nelson Mutanda on guitar and Sehlapi Mthombeni on backing vocals.
Admission: €25 / €12.50 for under 18s

● Macalla – Fri 11 July @ 9pm | St. John’s Cathedral
A powerful meeting of musical traditions from Ireland and the Middle East, Macalla is a new cross-cultural collaboration inspired by the music of Irish harpist and composer Turlough O’Carolan. This unique performance weaves the sounds of traditional Irish and Iraqi instruments – harp, oud, qanun, fiddle, and more – to create a rich tapestry of world music. Featuring musicians from the North West Folk Collective and the pan-Iraqi ensemble Mshakt, Macalla is commissioned by Earagail Arts Festival and supported by The British Council.
Admission: €20

New Music

● Etched Through Sea and Stone – Wed 09 July @ 8pm | The Factory Performance Space
Inspired by the ever-shifting tides of the Atlantic, this brand-new composition by Natalia Beylis explores the ocean’s mysterious pull from both the Irish west and American east
coasts. Blending field recordings with cello, fiddle, harmonium, percussion and feedback, the piece is a meditation on movement, breath and the sea. Performed by Agathe Max, Eimear Reidy, Tara Baoth Mooney, Willie Stewart, and Natalia Beylis. Commissioned by Cairde Sligo Arts Festival with support from the Arts Council of Ireland’s Music Commissions Award.
Admission: €18

● The Memory of Rocks Embossed – Sat 12 July @ 5pm & 7pm | Sligo Drama Circle
Inspired by the ancient cairns of Carrowkeel, this immersive new performance blurs the lines between ritual, sound and place. Carrowkeel invites the audience into a meditative soundscape where silence, breath and memory converge. Created and performed by Eimear Reidy, Tara Baoth Mooney and Diarmuid Mac Diarmada.
Admission: €10

Free & Family-Friendly Events

● Cairde in the Park – Sun 06 July | 1pm – 6pm | Peace Park
A joyful day of music, circus, wellness, interactive games and food in Sligo’s beautiful Peace Park featuring music by Hugh Feely, Note-orious 4, Lemoncello and DUG, DJ Will Softly’s legendary kids’ disco, Sligo’s own pop anthem premiere from Xnthony, and more. Visit the website for the full line-up.
Admission: Free (donations welcome)

● Street Theatre at Queen Maeve Square
Delight in a series of free family-friendly circus and street theatre performances taking place in Queen Maeve Square and surrounding areas (see website for locations and times): The Grannies, Toxic Dogs, Miss Mary, MDME Kakapo & Son, and Dr. Jones and Professor Barnard Medicine Show.
Admission: Free

Literature & Talks

This year, the festival has expanded its literary strand to include a series of writing workshops in creative non-fiction, short story writing and poetry; a week-long intensive fiction writer’s workshop with acclaimed Irish author Sean O’Reilly (booked-out); and panel discussions covering debut novels, poetry, climate change and more.

The literary and panel talk line-up includes Eoin McNamee, Salena Godden, Seán Farrell, Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Elaine Garvey, Mary Branley, Saoirse Anton, Gerard Beirne and Alice Kinsella. For more details or to register for any of the open literary workshops or events, visit www.cairdefestival.com/2025.

Not to be Missed

Theatre & Performance

Cairde Sligo Arts Festival presents an exciting programme of theatre and performance, showcasing a diverse range of voices and creative styles. MAKOSH is a dizzying aerial theatre performance created and performed by Polina Shapkina that takes the audience on a surreal journey through the human psyche, exploring what happens when we bury memory, repress pain, and refuse to face our inner darkness. Bunny Bunny, a one-woman clown show by Nora Kelly Lester, is an absurdist romantic nightmare comedy about landlords, ex-lovers, and hotel soap – a riotous, heartfelt exploration of what it means to hold it together while everything’s falling apart. As part of Cairde’s Artist Development Programme, Unveiled offers a unique opportunity to experience four brand-new works-in-progress by Ikenna Anyabuike (Theatre), Amir Sabra and Laura Lundy (Dance), Angelica Santander (Clown/Theatre), and Kyle Conlon, Nell Garcia and Dylan McGloin of Know Promises (Theatre).

See brand-new work blending immersive visuals with acrobatics by Cikada Circus in their unique geodome venue at Hazelwood House on July 8th and 9th, or traverse a trail of Wandering Voices where multidisciplinary artists explore the theme of ferocity and resilience through spoken word, music and performance co-curated by Chandrika Narayanan Mohan and Patrick Curley. From physical theatre to clowning and aerial work, this year’s festival invites audiences to experience bold, boundary-pushing performances from some of Ireland’s most exciting theatre-makers.
Cairde’s Closing Spectacle & Club Night – Saturday 12 July

● Community Procession & Closing Spectacle by VolkiDána – Sat 12 July @ 10pm | Starting from Lower Quay Street

Spectacle company VolkiDána returns to Cairde for a second year to present its newly commissioned show Ephemera – a dramatic procession through the heart of Sligo, tracing the path of the river, culminates at Queen Maeve Square with a breathtaking aerial performance and fire ritual, telling the epic story of an ancient goddess who rises and is finally set free. This event involves engagement with Sligo communities: Aremoja, Sligo Youth Theatre, Foroige, and Men’s, Women’s and Queer Sheds.
Admission: Free

● Fun Protestants, Tailtiu, Alix & Ruairí – Closing Club Night in collaboration with The Model Late Nights – Sat 12 July @ 10:30pm | The Model
Celebrate the festival’s finale with an unforgettable night of music, dancing and craic with sets by a trio of Northern Irish acts: Fun Protestants, Alix & Ruairí and DJ Tailtiu.
Admission: €12

Visit the festival website at www.cairdefestival.com to view the full line-up or download the brochure. Tickets are on sale now for all ticketed events. Early booking is recommended as shows are expected to sell out quickly.