{"id":485567,"date":"2026-05-15T06:36:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/485567\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T06:36:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:36:25","slug":"event-guide-paul-simon-kraftwerk-and-other-best-things-to-see-in-ireland-over-the-next-week-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/485567\/","title":{"rendered":"Event guide: Paul Simon, Kraftwerk and other best things to see in Ireland over the next week \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Event of the weekPaul SimonWednesday, May 20th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, \u20ac216.20\/\u20ac96.25, ticketmaster.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a surprise, given the severe hearing loss in his left ear and subsequent thoughts about needing to retire from live performance, to see Paul Simon<\/a> touring again. It\u2019s also a pleasure. He decided to carry on after the success of Seven Psalms, his acoustic album from 2023; the name of this tour, A Quiet Celebration, flags a change of pace and a focus on optimal acoustics, precisely placed stage monitors and a set list that takes the singer-songwriter\u2019s hearing loss into account. <\/p>\n

The concert is in two parts. The entirety of Seven Psalms is followed by a selection of peerless songs, including Graceland, Slip Slidin\u2019 Away, Homeward Bound, The Boxer and The Sound of Silence. A victory lap by any other name, and a well-deserved one at that.<\/p>\n

GigsRichard AshcroftSaturday, May 16th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, \u20ac70.70 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie <\/a>\"RichardRichard Ashcroft will be singing Verve classics as well as tracks from his latest album <\/p>\n

For music fans of a certain age, last year\u2019s Oasis<\/a> gigs at Croke Park were unforgettable experiences fortified not just by the Gallagher brothers but also by the main support act, Richard Ashcroft<\/a>. The Verve\u2019s former lead singer and songwriter will be concentrating on promoting his latest album, Lovin\u2019 You, but will also inevitably perform songs such as Bitter Sweet Symphony, Lucky Man and The Drugs Don\u2019t Work. Special guests are the Welsh indie band The Royston Club.<\/p>\n

KraftwerkSunday, May 17th, Bord G\u00e1is Energy Theatre, Dublin, 7pm, \u20ac172.75\/\u20ac97.75\/\u20ac72.20; Monday, May 18th, Waterfront Hall, Belfast, 7pm, \u00a3170\/\u00a354.40, ticketmaster.ie<\/a>\"KraftwerkKraftwerk has one original member still in the quartet <\/p>\n

Having changed the face of popular music, Kraftwerk<\/a> are quite entitled to celebrate their 55-year history. With just one original member, Ralf H\u00fctter, the group (\u201cformation\u201d might be a better description) perform as a quartet of robotic, motionless mannequins positioned at sound-desk lecterns, delivering a blend of bass-heavy techno rhythms, earworm electropop and fluid electronica.<\/p>\n

Doja CatTuesday, May 19th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, \u20ac118.90\/\u20ac103.90\/\u20ac93.90, ticketmaster.ie<\/a>\"DojaDoja Cat: expect a physical, playful performance <\/p>\n

Doja Cat<\/a> is one of the world\u2019s bestselling female rappers, with a lengthy list of awards to her name, as well as canny stylistic revisions. The singer arrives in Ireland with her Tour Ma Vie, named after last year\u2019s album, Vie. Advance reports suggest fans will have a ball: expect a physical, playful performance and a neon-driven stage-production fusion of cyberpunk and Top of the Pops.<\/p>\n

Spoken Word\/TheatreWe Are an ArchipelagoWednesday, May 20th, Mount Carmel Chapel, Loughrea, Co Galway, 8pm, \u20ac19, tickettailor.com; Salmon Bookshop, Ennistymon, Co Clare, 7pm, \u20actbc, salmonpoetry.com<\/p>\n

The North Carolina poet and performer Erin Fornoff, who lives in east Co Clare, is an evocative performer whose flair with words can generate both tears and laughter. She brings her semifictional spoken-word\/play on tour with live score and songs by I Have a Tribe\u2019s Patrick O\u2019Laoghaire, the multi-instrumentalist Oisin Walsh-Peelo and the jazz drummer Dominic Mullan. Also Saturday, May 23rd, Seamus Heaney Homeplace, Bellaghy, Co Derry, 7.15pm, \u00a315, seamusheaneyhome.com; Saturday, May 30th, Kerry Writers\u2019 Museum, Listowel, Co Kerry, 12.15pm, \u20ac11.50, writersweek.ie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ClassicalWest Wicklow Chamber Music FestivalFrom Wednesday, May 20th, until Sunday, May 24th, various venues, times and prices, Blessington, Co Wicklow, westwicklowfestival.com<\/a>\"Jazz\/soulJazz\/soul singer China Moses will feature at the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival <\/p>\n

The 10th edition of West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival features performances by the event\u2019s founder and artistic director, Fiachra Garvey (Wednesday, May 20th, Russborough House, 8pm, \u20ac42), the Bechstein Trio (Thursday, May 21st, Russborough House, 8pm, \u20ac42), the Marmen Quartet, Friday, May 22nd, Russborough House, 8pm, \u20ac42) and, perhaps unexpectedly, the striking US jazz\/soul singer China Moses (Saturday, May 23rd, Tramway Theatre, 8pm, \u20ac32). The festival closes with a programme of operatic and popular classics by the soprano Jennifer Davis, the tenor Nicky Spence and the pianist Dylan Perez (Sunday, May 24th, St Mary\u2019s Church of Ireland, 3.30pm, \u20ac32). <\/p>\n

LiteratureBallyscullion Park Book FestivalSaturday, May 16th, and Sunday, May 17th, Bellaghy, Co Derry, various times and prices, ballyscullionparkbookfestival.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

Subtitled A Celebration of Literature, Music and Art in the Heart of Seamus Heaney Country, this festival features in-conversation events with Jung Chang (Saturday, May 16th, 11am), Lionel Shriver (Saturday, May 16th, 2pm) and Irish Times books editor Martin Doyle (Saturday, May 16th, 4pm), plus Don\u2019t Panic!, a panel discussion on the negative aspects of social media with Shriver, Charlotte Blease and Martina Devlin (Sunday, May 17th, 4pm). Of particular note for crime-writing fans is A Life of Crime (Sunday, 10am), featuring James Murphy and Alec Marsh on the enduring appeal of murder mysteries.<\/p>\n

JLF Island of IrelandFrom Friday, May 22nd, until Sunday, May 31st, various venues and times, free, jlflitfest.org<\/a><\/p>\n

The international edition of the acclaimed Jaipur Literature Festival debuts in Ireland for a series of events in Belfast (May 22nd-May 24th), Armagh (May 26th-27th), Dundalk (May 28th) and Dublin (May 29th-31st). Events include Fragments of a Nation, with Aanchal Malhotra, Kishwar Desai and Marie Coleman in conversation with Susan McKay (Saturday, May 23rd, 4pm, Ulster University, Belfast), For and Against a United Ireland, with Fintan O\u2019Toole and Sam McBride in conversation with Dearbhail McDonald (Wednesday, May 27th, Market Place Theatre, Armagh, 7.30pm) and The Alchemy of Writing, with Ruchir Joshi and Sin\u00e9ad Gleeson in conversation with Manasi Subramaniam (Robert Emmet Theatre, TCD, Dublin, Sunday, May 31st, 1pm).<\/p>\n

Still runningFestival of Voice 2026From Friday, May 22nd, until Sunday, May 24th, NCH, Dublin, nch.ie<\/a>\"ChamberChamber Choir Ireland and Crash Ensemble <\/p>\n

The second Festival of Voice gathers prominent Irish music acts (Saint Sister, Rachael Lavelle), community choirs, emerging artists and international names (the Grammy-winning composer Eric Whiteacre). A particular highlight is J\u00f3hann J\u00f3hannson\u2019s Drone Mass, with Chamber Choir Ireland and Crash Ensemble (Sunday, May 24th, 8pm, \u20ac35\/\u20ac25). <\/p>\n

Book it this week<\/p>\n