Greetings from Third Castle
Mary Black's farewell tour lands at the National Stadium on Tuesday and the 3Olympia on Friday. Marcos Valle, 80 years old and back in Dublin for the first time in 12 years, plays Whelan's on the same night.
Les Misérables begins its final world tour run at 3Arena. Hermitage Green hold down Whelan's for two consecutive nights. The Bealtaine Festival opens its flagship three-day weekend at Project Arts. Six Degrees of Separation is still running at the Lir.
This is our pick of what's on this week. As always for a full event list check out the link at the bottom of the email.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Mary Black: The Slán Tour
Tuesday 26 May · 20:00 · National Stadium (sold out)
Friday 29 May · 19:00 · 3Olympia Theatre
Forty-plus years on the road, and this is the send-off. The National Stadium date was added mid-tour to meet demand and is now sold out. The Friday night at the 3Olympia still has tickets. Black announced the Slán Tour as her final Irish run, stepping away from the road on her own terms. If you missed Tuesday, Friday is the one.
Marcos Valle
Tuesday 26 May · 20:00 · Whelan's
At 80, and his first Dublin appearance in 12 years. From bossa nova through samba-soul and psychedelic MPB to beach boogie, Marcos Valle has been making and remaking himself since the early 1960s. He's celebrating a 20th anniversary reissue of Contrasts on this tour. The Whelan's room holds maybe 500 people. For a figure of this stature, that is an extraordinary booking.
Les Misérables: The World Arena Concert Tour
Friday 29 May · 18:30 · 3Arena
One million tickets across 30 cities, and Dublin is among the last stops before the tour closes at London's Royal Albert Hall and Radio City Music Hall in New York. Killian Donnelly and Gerónimo Rauch alternate as Jean Valjean, Bradley Jaden plays Javert, Matt Lucas is Thénardier. The run continues through 6 June at 3Arena; opening night has its own atmosphere.
Florence Road
Wednesday 27 May · 19:00 · 3Olympia Theatre
The Wicklow four-piece have built a following of over a million, largely before a debut album exists. Fronted by Lily Aron, with a sound that moves between soft and loud and back again. The 3Olympia is a big room for a band at this stage, which means they're being tested properly.
Daragh Fleming and Emmet O'Brien
Tuesday 26 May · 20:00 · Whelan's Upstairs
An Irish folk and electronic pairing at Whelan's Upstairs on the same night as Marcos Valle downstairs. Two artists from different ends of the Irish scene who apparently find something interesting in the middle. Makes Tuesday the pick of the week for live music.
HERMITAGE GREEN
Friday 29 May · 20:00 and Saturday 30 May · 19:30 · Whelan's
Two consecutive nights for the Clare folk-rockers. If the outdoor festival circuit is where most people hear them, a Whelan's run is where you actually get to hear them. Both nights are listed separately; Friday for the curious, Saturday for the ones who already know every word.
The Complete Stone Roses
Friday 29 May · The Grand Social
One of the more credible tribute acts doing the Stone Roses catalogue at a venue that suits it. Worth knowing about if Madchester is your corner of the map.
Afro Fest
Saturday 30 May · 18:00 · The Workmans Club
A celebration of African music and culture at the Workmans Club. Low ceiling, good energy, and music that benefits from a room full of people who showed up for it.
CURVEBALL: Beyhive
Saturday 30 May · 18:00 · Button Factory
Julia Cuprina and Viola Gayvis behind the decks for a Beyoncé night at the Button Factory. The Curveball nights tend to be well-run and this one draws a crowd that arrives ready.
Killian Sundermann
Saturday 30 May · 18:30 · Vicar Street
A Vicar Street headline is a meaningful step. Sundermann has been building steadily toward a night like this. One of the more significant Dublin bookings for an Irish act this month.
Who's That Girl: Eurythmics and Annie Lennox Experience
Saturday 30 May · 19:00 · The Grand Social
Live tribute to the Eurythmics and Annie Lennox catalogue at the Grand Social. If the setlist does the back catalogue justice, there is a strong evening here.
The Dublin Jazz Co-op
Sunday 31 May · 15:00 · Cobblestone
Laoise Leahy and Johnny Taylor headline a Sunday afternoon jazz session. The Co-op has been running these consistently well, and the Cobblestone suits the format. A good note to end the week on.
Bealtaine Festival 2026
Thursday 28 May to Saturday 30 May · Project Arts Centre
The flagship three-day weekend of the Bealtaine Festival opens at Project Arts Centre on Thursday. The theme this year is Lust for Life: the whole programme is built around creativity and ageing as a time of energy and reinvention, not withdrawal. Conversations with Cait O'Riordan, Paul Cleary, and Miriam O'Callaghan discussing her memoir. Film works, a Human Library, and the weekend closes Saturday with the 6 O'Clock Rock party. The Bealtaine Festival has been growing in ambition for years. This weekend is its centrepiece.
Six Degrees of Separation
Thursday 28 May · 19:30 · The Lir Academy
John Guare's play about a charming stranger who convinces wealthy New York art dealers he is Sidney Poitier's son is one of the sharpest pieces of American theatre from the nineties. The Lir production has been running since 22 May, and Thursday is a good moment to catch it before the run closes.
Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story
Sunday 31 May · 19:30 · Smock Alley Theatre
Diana in heaven, telling the story of her extraordinary life, with the emphasis firmly on untrue. Irreverent cabaret at Smock Alley, which is exactly the room for this kind of production: intimate enough that nothing is hidden and the audience is close enough to be part of the joke.
Baby Workshop: Creative Movement
Friday 29 May · 10:00 · The Ark
A soft movement session for babies led by dance artist Juliet Zmorrod. The Ark has been running these for a while and gets the format right: it moves at the pace of the babies, not the schedule.
For a full overview of all events on this week in Dublin City check out our event listings page
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
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