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festivals · Sunday 19 July 2026 · Various 
Chicken Stock Festival
At Railway Bar · Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
At Railway Bar · Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
Clonmel has always had a blues streak in it, and Chicken Stock is where it surfaces most loudly. Curated by Crow Black Chicken - the Clonmel three-piece who have been playing raw blues-rock since 2009, toured Europe, supported ZZ Top and had their album chart at number 12 in Ireland - this is a one-day festival built around the music they love and the community that loves it back. It suits anyone who wants a proper live music day out without the logistics of a multi-day camping festival: one venue, a strong line-up, and a town that knows how to enjoy itself.
The 2026 edition brings together fourteen acts across a long day of blues, rock and everything in between. The confirmed line-up includes Inside, Cillian Maher, The Benedictine Duo, Twiggy, Padraig Dargan, Stewart Connolly, Stone Cold Hobo, Fair Warning, Porcelain Eyes, Static Haze, Moonchild, Ross Dave and Eamon, Charcoal Greys, and Crow Black Chicken themselves closing out the night with a Deep South set. The range covers emerging local acts alongside more established performers, so there is genuine discovery built into the day rather than the same faces reshuffled.
The venue is the Railway Bar - known locally as Kitty O’Donnell’s - on Prior Park Road, just off the town centre near the train station. It is a proper old-style pub with live music already baked into its DNA: traditional sessions run weekly and the setlist archive on Setlist.fm shows it has hosted rock and roots acts for years. Expect a warm, unpretentious room where the music is the point. Crow Black Chicken released their fourth studio album, Ghost Dance, in June 2025, recorded in Co. Tipperary - so this festival has the feel of a homecoming as much as a standalone event.
Clonmel is the largest town in Co. Tipperary and sits in the Suir Valley about 45 minutes by road from Waterford, an hour from Cork, and roughly 2 hours from Dublin via the M8 and N24. Bus Eireann runs regular services between Clonmel and Waterford, Cahir and Tipperary town. The town also has a train station on the Waterford - Limerick Junction line, with connections possible from Cork and Dublin. The Railway Bar is on Prior Park Road, close to the station - useful if you are arriving by rail. Street parking is available around the station area and the surrounding roads.
Clonmel is a lively market town with a strong arts tradition - it has hosted the Junction Festival for years and has a well-regarded food and pub scene along its main streets and quays. There is more to see in Clonmel and across Co. Tipperary.
Heading to Railway Bar in Clonmel? Tipperary has plenty more to see. Read the Clonmel area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.