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music · Sunday 16 August 2026 · Various 
Charles Wood Festival of Music and Summer School Armagh 2026
At Various Venues, Armagh City · Armagh, Co. Armagh
At Various Venues, Armagh City · Armagh, Co. Armagh
Each August, Armagh becomes the focus of some of the finest choral music in Ireland and Britain, when the Charles Wood Festival of Music and Summer School takes over the city’s remarkable collection of churches and performance spaces for a full week. The festival honours Charles Wood, born in Armagh in 1866, who went on to become Professor of Music at Cambridge and left behind more than 250 sacred works. The 2026 edition carries particular weight - it marks the centenary of his death, and the organisers are offering ten bursaries of £100 towards travel costs for participants coming from outside Ireland and Northern Ireland. For anyone who loves choral music, sacred music, or simply wants to hear exceptional singing in beautiful surroundings, this is a week worth planning around.
The festival runs from 16 to 23 August 2026, with events spread across Armagh’s churches throughout the week. Two resident choirs - the Charles Wood Singers and the Charles Wood Girls’ Choir - are formed at the start of the week and spend days in rehearsal before performing concerts and services. The programme typically runs to more than 30 events, including workshops, masterclasses, services and public concerts. Previous years have included BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong broadcasts and BBC Radio Ulster Morning Service recordings, giving the festival a reach well beyond the city itself.
The Charles Wood Singers residential course (16-23 August) is open to adult choral singers and costs £500, which covers accommodation, food, music and a week of intensive training under the direction of Artistic Director David Hill of The Bach Choir. The Charles Wood Girls’ Choir runs a parallel residential course for girl choristers aged 12 to 18. Public concerts throughout the week are open to all, with ticketed and free options in the programme.
Armagh city sits in the south of County Armagh, roughly 40 minutes by road from Belfast and about an hour from Dublin. The main route from Belfast is the A3; from Dublin, take the M1 north and exit for Armagh via the A28. Ulsterbus operates services from Belfast’s Europa Buscentre to Armagh, with the journey taking around 75 minutes. Parking in the city centre is generally straightforward, with spaces near the Market Place Theatre and the cathedrals.
Armagh is one of the oldest cities on the island - two St Patrick’s Cathedrals face each other across the hill, and the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium are a short walk from the city centre. There is more to see in Armagh and across Co. Armagh.
Heading to Various Venues, Armagh City in Armagh? Armagh has plenty more to see. Read the Armagh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.