All We Have are Days -- Limerick’s Winter Festival Returns

                                          All We Have are Days

Limerick’s Winter Festival Returns

By Kieran Beville

Theatre Royal

The fisrt A concertina in the Theatre Royal, live music in an afternoon pub, poetry and conversation between gigs: Limerick’s next bank holiday festival offers plenty of reasons to leave the house while winter still has its grip on the city.

All We Have Are Days has announced the first instalment of its 2027 programme, with Gurriers, Cormac Begley and Thomas Bartlett leading a bill that brings together established performers, emerging bands and familiar local names. Returning for its third edition, the festival runs from Friday, 29 January, to Monday, 1 February, over St Brigid’s weekend.

The announcement, released on 11 November, outlines a festival of 140 artists and 60 shows across 25 venues. Music remains central, with spoken word, theatre and conversation broadening the invitation. Further artists, guest curations, discussions and club nights will be announced in early December.

A City of Listening Rooms

There is something particularly appealing about a festival that sends people through their own city with a fresh sense of purpose. A pub passed every week becomes somewhere to hear an unfamiliar singer. A room associated with conversation becomes a place where everyone falls quiet.

All We Have Are Days is well suited to that kind of discovery. Its venues range from Theatre Royal and John’s Church/Dance Limerick to Dolan’s, Pharmacia, The Commercial and a network of pubs. The White House, Mother Mac’s, JJ Bowles, Myles Breen’s and Flannery’s are among the participating establishments.

For audiences, the attraction lies partly in proximity. The performer is close enough for the small details to register: a change of expression, an intake of breath, the moment a musician decides to take a tune somewhere unexpected. Those details can become the things remembered long after a set list has faded.

The city itself also benefits from this movement between rooms. People arrive early, meet friends, stay for another performance and perhaps discover a venue they will return to during the year.

Three Different Musical Directions

The leading names suggest a weekend with room for sharply contrasting musical experiences. Dublin post-punk band Gurriers bring a different energy from concertina player Cormac Begley, while American musician, composer and producer Thomas Bartlett offers another point of entry.

Singer and actor Bronagh Gallagher, Caoi de Barra of Wyvern Lingo, Anna B Savage, Dowry and ROE are also among the announced artists. Denise Chaila and poet FeliSpeaks add further dimensions to a programme that resists being confined to one musical constituency.

That breadth matters. A festival becomes more interesting when it encourages a little curiosity beyond the acts people already know. Someone booking for a familiar name may find that an afternoon performance elsewhere becomes the unexpected highlight.

There is no obligation to turn the weekend into an endurance exercise. One carefully chosen concert can be enough. Equally, the spread of performances offers the possibility of building a day around several very different encounters.

The Theatre Royal Takes Its Place

The published programme gives Theatre Royal a prominent role. Gurriers play there on Friday, supported by THEATRE and Brooki. Cormac Begley and guests follow on Saturday, with support from Caoi de Barra. Sunday brings Thomas Bartlett, supported by Anna B Savage and Dowry.

For a city with such an attachment to its performance history, seeing the Theatre Royal feature across successive nights carries a particular satisfaction. Buildings acquire cultural meaning through use. An audience arriving, a stage being prepared and music filling the room all contribute to that continuing story.

There is also a useful contrast between these larger gatherings and the smaller performances elsewhere. The festival can accommodate the sense of occasion attached to a theatre concert while preserving the intimacy of a pub appearance.

Limerick in the Foreground

Local participation gives the programme its roots. THEATRE, Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, Esme O’Riordan, Zkellies and Catherine Ireton are among the Limerick names announced.

THEATRE also have a separate Record Room show on Friday. The five-piece bring together elements of rock, folk and shoegaze, with Maeve on lead vocals alongside Dara, Oscar, Gerry and Sean. A hometown appearance in a compact venue offers an opportunity to hear a band whose reputation has been developing through live performance.

The value of placing local performers throughout a festival extends beyond civic pride. It allows their work to be heard in a wider context, by visitors and by residents who may know the name without yet knowing the music.

For Limerick listeners, that is a useful reminder to make time for what is happening nearby. Discovery does not always require a journey out of town.

Words Between the Songs

Conversation is another substantial strand. FeliSpeaks will appear with climate activist and producer Thimali Kodikara, while the London Irish Centre and an Edinburgh Fringe artist team return for discussions about Irish artists abroad.

Leah Hayden Cassidy will guest curate CROÍ Sessions at Flannery’s on Shannon Street, bringing friends and family into the programme. These gatherings offer a different pace from a concert and make room for the lives, relationships and ideas surrounding creative work.

There is particular relevance for a city whose artists frequently build careers across several places. Leaving, returning and maintaining connections are familiar parts of Irish cultural life. A festival can provide somewhere for those experiences to be discussed as well as expressed through performance.

The late-night programme also draws on existing music communities. Wombat Promotion’s Sunday Service returns to Dolan’s Warehouse, while Aoife Nic Canna brings Hip Hop Sundays to JJ Bowles. Trad Folkin’ Rocks, Strictly Rhythm and Winner Flags are among the returning strands.

An Invitation to Take Part

Free performances are an important part of the offering. The opening listings include Seán O’Meara at Myles Breen’s and Caoi de Barra at the Glen Tavern on Friday; Anna B Savage at Mother Mac’s and Brad Pitt Light Orchestra at JJ Bowles on Saturday; and Dowry at the White House on Sunday. Booking is required for these free events.

That combination of ticketed concerts and free appearances gives audiences several ways into the weekend. It makes a spontaneous musical discovery more possible, although advance planning will help where rooms have limited capacity.

Presented by thefiveandeight in partnership with Guinness and Limerick City and County Council, All We Have Are Days returns at a welcome point in the calendar: after January’s long evenings, with the first suggestion of spring ahead.

Tickets for selected shows are on sale through Eventbrite, with announced prices ranging from €10 to €28. Further programme details and booking links are available at allwehavearedays.com.

 

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