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heritage · Friday 17 July 2026 · 8:00pm 
Culture at the Castle 2026
At Cahir Castle · Cahir, Co. Tipperary
At Cahir Castle · Cahir, Co. Tipperary
An evening of live performance inside the walls of one of Ireland’s best-preserved medieval fortresses is a particular kind of experience. Culture at the Castle brings theatre and music into the Great Hall of Cahir Castle each summer, and the July night closes out the 2026 series with a solo performance by Sarah Lafferty - Dublin-based actress, producer and co-founder of Felix Culpa Theatre Company. If you have any interest in Irish performance, heritage, or simply a memorable evening out in South Tipperary, this is worth the journey.
The Cahir Social and Historical Society has run the Culture at the Castle series for several years, drawing historians, traditional musicians and theatre makers into the castle’s Great Hall. The 2026 series opened in April with historian Diarmaid Ferriter and moved through storytelling, brass music and song before reaching this final July date.
Sarah Lafferty performs on the night of July 17. She trained at the London School of Dramatic Art and made her West End debut in Adam Meggido’s Some Voices at the Soho Theatre. She has since worked extensively in Irish theatre. The setting matches the material: the Great Hall at Cahir is a stone room with considerable presence, and the Society runs its events in a modest, focused way - no PA extravagance, just performance in a live heritage space.
Seating is limited so booking in advance is strongly advised. Note that Cahir Castle is a National Heritage Site and no food or drinks are permitted anywhere on the premises - worth knowing before you arrive.
Cahir is on the N24, roughly midway between Clonmel (18km east) and Tipperary town (20km west). From Dublin it is about two hours via the M7/M8 and exit at Cahir. From Cork it is around 80 minutes on the N8/M8. From Waterford, the N24 west takes roughly an hour.
There is a public car park on Castle Street immediately beside the castle, and on-street parking is generally available in the town centre in the evening. Bus Éireann routes connect Cahir to Clonmel, Tipperary town and Cahir bus stop is a short walk from the castle. If you are coming by train, the nearest station is Cahir - on the Waterford to Limerick Junction line - and the castle is a few minutes on foot from the platform.
The town itself repays an hour before the performance: the Swiss Cottage ornamental cottage on the Suir riverbank is a five-minute drive, and Cahir town centre has a few reliable spots for food ahead of the 8pm start. There is more to see in Cahir and across Co. Tipperary.
Heading to Cahir Castle in Cahir? Tipperary has plenty more to see. Read the Cahir area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.