DONEGAL’S premier summer event, Earagail Arts Festival (July 12 to July 26) kicks off this weekend with a host of fantastic events.

On Saturday night 12th July the festival will host its opening concert, Macalla 9Ireland & Iraq in the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny at 8pm.

Blending Middle Eastern and traditional Irish music, Macalla is a new music collaboration between Irish and Iraqi folk and traditional musicians.

Inspired by the music of Celtic harpist Turlough O’Carolan, this new commission features Lucia McGinnis (Harp), Niwar Issa (Qanun), Saman Kareem (Oud), Helin Star Qadir (Violin), Kawar Rajab Khalid (Percussion) from the pan-Iraqi ensemble Mshakt with Martin Coyle (Bouzouki), Denise Boyle (Fiddle) and Paul Cutliffe (Uilleann pipes and whistle) of the North West Folk Collective.

Other highlights to look out for this weekend include Session Americana in the Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey (Friday, July 11), Lies Where it Falls by Ruairi Conaghan (Saturday, July 12) and Groovy Sunday: Miles Davis Kind of Blue (Sunday, July 13), both at An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny.

The festival features an expanded programme of circus, music, workshops, street arts performances and camps as part of its annual Wild Atlantic Weekends, returning to Castlefinn, and coming to Ionad Cois Locha in Dunlewey for the first time.

Continuing to make the arts more accessible for all, the festival has introduced newly-reduced family prices (Only €30 for a family of five) for the circus shows in Castlefinn, Gaoth Dobhair and Letterkenny.

No Fit State presents Bamboo at Castle Grove Country House outside Letterkenny this Sunday, July 13 at 2 and 4pm and Monday, July 14 at 2pm.

Bamboo is high-impact, high skill circus production using only bamboo and human bodies – revealing the fragility and beauty of our interconnected life on this planet.

Roll up for a series of one hour-long drop-in circus skills workshops for children aged 7 to 11 hosted in the Big Top at CPI, Castlefinn, Thursday, July 17 to Saturday, July 19 (daily), where some of Ireland’s most skilled circus performers introduce you to some neat acrobatic and circus skills as well a few props in a fun “try it out” atmosphere.

Also on those days, at 3.30pm each day, you can spend an afternoon in the company of some of the most extraordinary death-defying aerialists, hilarious comedians and mind-boggling acrobats Ireland has to offer with Tumble Circus’s new show Talamh and the hilarious Dr Jones & Professor Barnard.

Circus Éire will also come to Ionad Cois Locha, Dunlewey for the first time with Tumble Circus again, as well as Stephen McGinley’s “Mo Cheol an Sorcas” as Gaeilge, from Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26.

Earagail Arts Festival is kindly supported by The Arts Council An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Donegal County Council and Wild Atlantic Way. For full information on the 2025 programme and bookings, please visit www.eaf.ie