Hibernacle presents 'Meet Me At The Castle': A Series of Musical Adventures across the Grounds of Claregalway Castle, Co. Galway.

On Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of September, the historic grounds of Claregalway Castle, Co. Galway provides the epic backdrop for Hibernacle: Meet Me At The Castle - a series of one-day events featuring Lisa Hannigan, Tolü Makay, Saint Sister, Wallis Bird, Andy Irvine, Nealo, Daithí, Jape and DJ Sally Cinnamon.

All artists will be playing both the Saturday and the Sunday; the audience changes each day but the line-up stays the same. In line with Government guidelines for this event's capacity percentage, all patrons will be required to show their Digital Covid Certificate in order to attend.

Ticket holders will be able to explore the grounds of Claregalway Castle, just a 25 minute drive from Galway City, from 2pm until 10.30pm where they will get to watch their favourite artists perform in new, unexpected ways and witness some magical collaborations as they happen; enjoy food and drink from local suppliers and dance to music provided by one of Ireland’s top DJs, Sally Cinnamon; check out the early afternoon collaborative workshops where the artists will share songs and stories, then allow Hibernacle’s shuttle busses to bring you back to the centre of Galway with a full belly, a happy heart and a head full of magical music.

Meet Me At The Castle is the latest in a series of events by Hibernacle, the brainchild of three experienced and diverse event organisers: Úna Molloy, Pearse Doherty and Peter Kelly. The first Hibernacle, a collaborative pilgrimage which took place in Doolin, Co. Clare during the week before Christmas - brought musicians together for a restorative retreat during the height of the pandemic. You can watch a snapshot of what happened that week here. More recent Hibernacle events include Meet Me In The Garden - a series of collaborative shows at The Chestnut in Birr, Co. Offaly - and All Boats Rise - A month-long voyage by barge along the inland waterways of Ireland with folk duo Ye Vagabonds.

They say that adversity sparks creativity and all of Hibernacle’s events truly show this to be the case. Above all, a strong thread of collaboration is at the heart of everything they do. Given Úna, Pearse and Peter’s collective backgrounds, it’s no wonder Hibernacle is breaking the mould of what live events look like.

Úna Molloy is a booking agent, programmer and producer. She runs the music agency Turning Pirate and works with artists such as Lisa Hannigan, Ye Vagabonds, Booka Brass, Paul Noonan (Bell X1), Luka Bloom and Wallis Bird. She is also the woman behind the iconic Turning Pirate Mixtape which has taken place at Vicar St. in Dublin since 2003, and the music programmer for Lost Lane. Úna received the IMRO Award for Outstanding Contribution to Live Music in 2015.

Pearse Doherty is an experienced large-scale events producer. He was the Head of Production for European Capital Of Culture Galway 2020, Head of Production for Ed Sheeran’s Irish Tour in 2018, Site Manager for Electric Picnic between 2013 and 2017, Site Manager for Sea Sessions between 2012 and 2017 and Tour Manager for Tommy Tiernan between 2005 and 2017. He also co-founded the Galway Comedy Festival and played bass with The Saw Doctors between 1998 and 2002.

Peter Kelly is a Drummer, Producer, DJ and Event Promoter from Birr. He began studying a music degree and touring internationally in 2012. Peter has played on numerous tours and festivals, and worked with a diverse range of artists, most recently Æ MAK and All the Luck in the World. Along with this, Peter developed Camcor Calling, a response to a lack of music events in the Irish Midlands in 2016. Camcor Calling have been heavily involved in programming shows in The Chestnut and alongside Birr Vintage Arts Festival. Camcor Calling events have helped breathe new energy into the locality.

Úna Molloy says: “Collaboration and bringing people together has always been a huge part of all three of our collective endeavours and because our ethoses are so aligned, when the opportunity arose to work together, the three of us jumped at it. Since then Pearse, Peter and myself have just been building our Hibernacle brand, continuing to place the importance of the artist and the full experience of the audience at the heart of every endeavour. Our Hibernacle event at Doolin was one of the most special events I have ever been involved in producing and Meet Me in the Garden, our series running currently in Birr, is an extension of that. Meet Me at The Castle will be a whole new experience. We will keep up our collaborative thread and the festival day will be filled with unique experiences throughout each part of the day.”

Tickets for Hibernacle: Meet Me At The Castle are sold as individual day tickets to attend on either Saturday 25th or Sunday 26th September. The line-up for each day remains the same but stage times and magical collaborative elements may vary - that’s the best part!

Tickets are available at a cost of €55 per person per day. All tickets can be purchased through hibernacle.ie. This is an over 18s event.