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music · Sunday 5 July 2026 · 3:00pm 
The Earls of Ormond at Music in the Forest
At Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary · Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow
At Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary · Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow
On a Sunday afternoon in early July, one of Ireland’s finest early music ensembles takes to the forest at Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary in Kilmacanogue. The Earls of Ormond are a Kilkenny-based consort known for historically-informed performances of medieval and Renaissance music, and their programme here - “Hey Ho to the Greenwood” - is shaped entirely around the setting: a celebration of nature and folklore played out beneath a canopy of trees. It suits anyone who likes serious, beautifully played music in an unusual place, and it suits families too, with the woods adding an adventure element that a concert hall simply cannot match.
The Earls of Ormond perform on period instruments - recorders, viols, historical harps, chamber organ - drawing their repertoire from sources including the Henry VIII Manuscript, one of the richest collections of early Tudor secular music. The programme for this afternoon weaves together intricate instrumental pieces, haunting folk melodies, and lively bird tunes, all framed around the sounds of the Irish countryside. The show is subtitled “from the Royal Courts to the heart of the forest,” which gives you a sense of the range: formal polyphony rubbing shoulders with robin-and-wren dance music.
The concert takes place in Dorlindon’s “Cathedral of Trees” - a natural forest amphitheatre at the centre of the sanctuary, ringed by ancient woodland. The space is intimate and the acoustics are the open air, which suits early music particularly well. Gates open at 2:00pm; the concert runs 3:00pm to 5:00pm. A portion of ticket proceeds goes to the Children’s Health Foundation, which supports Irish paediatric hospitals.
Kilmacanogue sits just off the N11 / M11 at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, about 30 km south of Dublin city centre. By car, follow the N11 south and take the Kilmacanogue exit. The journey from Dublin takes around 30 minutes outside peak traffic; from Wicklow town it is about 20 minutes north. Parking is available on site for ticket holders but is limited - carpooling is worth organising in advance if you are travelling with others.
Dublin Bus and Wexford-bound expressway coaches pass through Kilmacanogue on the N11 corridor. Check current timetables with the operator before travelling.
Kilmacanogue is the gateway to the Sugar Loaf and the Wicklow uplands, and the village itself sits at the edge of some of the most accessible walking country in the east of Ireland. There is more to see in Kilmacanogue and across Co. Wicklow.
Heading to Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary in Kilmacanogue? Wicklow has plenty more to see. Read the Kilmacanogue area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.