Free live music sessions in Kilkenny for St Patrick's weekend

One of Ireland’s oldest brewery sites, Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, is making this year’s St Patrick’s Weekend extra special with free live music sessions, including one featuring festival headliners, Burnchurch, shortly after the St Patrick’s Day parade concludes in the heart of the medieval city.

The internationally renowned visitor experience and home to Ireland’s oldest ale is open right across the bank holiday weekend. The immersive, multi-sensory tours operate throughout the day every single day during the Festival and local guides are getting ready to take visitors on a fascinating journey back in time.

Visitors will be immersed in the city’s 300-year-old brewing tradition. They’ll learn about the brewery’s history and rich heritage and the significant role the Smithwick family played in Kilkenny’s economic prosperity, culture, history, and traditions. Over 18s have an opportunity to enjoy a unique beer-tasting experience as part of the educational and entertaining tour.

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To celebrate the national holiday, free places are on offer on available tours for the entire festival weekend for all adult Patricks, Patricias and those with a variation of our patron saint’s name in their first name or surname.

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny’s enclosed Barrel Yard will be rocking throughout the Festival weekend. It all begins with a not-to-be-missed 3-piece acoustic trad session on Friday, March 14, from 5.30pm. The free event features Mick Purcell on Bodhrán, Moya Fitzgerald on Fiddle and Dave Harper on Bouzouki.

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny welcomes Burnchurch back to its Barrel Yard stage on St Patrick’s Day for an unmissable, post parade live performance, starting at 5pm. The free live show featuring the local siblings who rocked Marlay Park and Electric Picinic last year is part of the extensive Tradfest programme in the city.

The live performance at The Barrel Yard is expected to be a popular meeting point for groups once the traditional St Patrick’s Day parade ends on nearby High Street. Burnchurch are one of the headline gigs on this year’s action-packed Kilkenny Tradfest programme. Full details on HERE.

Manager of Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, Ignacio Peregrina, said everyone is looking forward to a bumper weekend of guided tours as well as free live music sessions on the Friday and Monday at the Kilkenny city centre landmark as it celebrates the official beginning of the traditional tourist season in Ireland.

Kilkenny is one of six locations outside of Dublin identified by Fáilte Ireland as part of an initiative to position Ireland as the only place for overseas tourists to celebrate St Patrick's Day. That drive is expected to mean Kilkenny is extra busy and pre-booking of tours is recommended on www.smithwicksexperience.com

“The Smithwick family has a long and proud history of celebrating and showcasing local talent and we’re excited to have local musical greats back on stage at our cosy and enclosed Barrel Yard for the St Patrick’s Festival Weekend celebrations.

“Our guided tours are available to book for the entire weekend on our website and we’re also delighted to offer free entry, where available, to adults with a Patrick-related name, for example Patrick, Paddy, Padraig, Pat, Patricia, and any other derivative. We’ll also accept adults with surnames which derive from a form of Patrick including Patrick, Fitzpatrick, Mulpatrick, etc.

“We’re also rolling out the green carpet and including our international visitors with names which are also common international derivatives of Patrick, among them Patricio (Spanish), Patrizio (Italian), and Patryk (Polish). If you’ve one of the lucky ones to be named after our patron saint, you’re in, subject to availability,” Ignacio said.

The free tour offer is valid only for walk-up visits only, not for those on pre-booked tours, and is subject to capacity availability. As it’s a tour of a former brewery site, the offer is also open to over 18s only. Those who believe they qualify must show valid photo identification.

A full bar facility is available at The Barrel Yard throughout the entire weekend and it is hoped that the sessions will attract those finishing work in the city for the long weekend and looking for somewhere to begin the festival weekend, as well as visitors to the Marble City. All Smithwick’s products are available on tap, as well as low alcohol and non-alcohol options.