FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 2025

Thursday 6th – Saturday 8th November | Sneem, Ring of Kerry

Welcome to the heart of the 12th Sneem International Storytelling & Folklore Festival! Our three-day programme is packed with unforgettable performances, family-friendly events, folklore sessions, and storytelling magic for all ages.

Browse the full schedule below and start planning your weekend of craic, culture, and community.

Thursday 6th November – Festival Opening

8.30 pm — Murphy’s Loft Session
🎤 Murphy’s Loft, South Square | Free
We open with music, stories and warm welcomes. Bring your instruments, your voice, and your curiosity.
Storyteller: Dominic Bennett

Friday 7th November – Stories in Every Corner

11.30 am — Irish Place Names with Paddy O’Brien
📍 Riney’s Bar, South Square | Free
Learn a few words of Irish in this light-hearted, engaging session.

1.00 pm — Yarns in the Barn with Maria Gillen
📍 Meet at Sneem Hotel | €8.00
A magical outdoor session in the hills. (Limited spaces – booking essential.)

4.30 pm — Storytelling Session with Cath Little
📍 Murphy’s Loft, South Square | Free

8.00 pm — Storytelling Concert – All Our Tellers Together
📍 Function Room, Sneem Hotel | €25.00
An evening of rich tales from across Ireland and beyond. This event is delivered in collaboration with Samhain Chiarrai Festival 2025.

#samhainchiarrai #homeofhalloween

Saturday 8th November – A Celebration of Folklore, Family & Performance

10.00 am — Curious Locals
📍 Sneem Hotel | €8.00
A quirky look at Sneem’s native wildlife with Vinnie Hyland.

10.45 am — Children’s Performance
📍 Sneem Crèche, North Square | Free
Storytelling by Cath Little.

11.30 am — Lunchtime Story Swap
📍 D O’Shea’s Bar, North Square | Free
Open mic-style storytelling with Paddy O’Brien & Dominic Bennett.

12.15 pm — Storytelling Performance for Schools
📍 Sneem Crèche | Free
With Killian Burns.

1.00 pm — ‘Always in the Consciousness of the People’
📍 Sneem Hotel, Function Room | €8.00
Dr Tomás Mac Conmara explores Irish revolutionary memory through oral history.

2.15 pm — It’s Yer Man with Killian Burns
📍 Sneem Hotel, Function Room | €8.00

3.15 pm — Dominic Bennett – Half Hour Tales
📍 Murphy’s Loft, South Square | Free

4.00 pm — Silver Screen Stories – ‘The Music of the Movies‘
📍 St Michael’s Church | By Donation
The South Kerry Rosen Choir bring iconic film music to life – Led by Musical Director, Brad Dicks.

5.00 pm — Ladies Telling Stories
📍 Sneem Hotel, Function Room | €8.00
With Frances Kennedy, Cath Little & Maria Gillen.

8.00 pm — Mary’s Hopes and Dreams – Hubcap Theatre
📍 Sneem Hotel, Function Room | €25.00
A comic, heartfelt play about rural Irish life with unforgettable characters! Arrive on time so as not to miss the short interlude before this play begins, Paddy O’Brien and Frances Kennedy will be bringing the preshow entertainment.

After the play, live music by the talented Martin Larkin will be taking place in the hotel bar, why not join us there for a drink, we’ll spend the evening listening to great tunes in the company of the storytellers.

Sunday 9th November

12 noon — The Bear
Sneem Community Centre | Donations welcome
A comedic farce by Anton Chekov. Sneem Drama Society.

12.15pm — Children’s Storytelling
Sneem Creche | Free
Wonderful Stories for Little Ones told by Maria Gillen

1.15pm — The Roots of Halloween – Luke Eastwood
The Loft, Murphy’s Bar | Free
Discover the ancient origins of Halloween, its Celtic traditions, and how these have shaped the festival we know today. A talk by author and folklorist Luke Eastwood. This event is delivered in collaboration with Samhain Chiarrai Festival 2025.

#samhainchiarrai #homeofhalloween

2.15pm — Open House & Story Swap
Riney’s Bar, South Square | Free
Hosted by Paddy O’Brien, come share your stories!

3.45pm — Closing the Festival
Murphy’s Loft, South Square | Free
A storytelling session with all of our tellers.