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arts · Thursday 10 September 2026 · Various 
Shorelines Arts Festival
At Multiple venues at Lough Derg · Portumna, Co. Galway
At Multiple venues at Lough Derg · Portumna, Co. Galway
Four days of art, sculpture, film, poetry and live performance spread across Portumna and the shores of Lough Derg - Shorelines Arts Festival has been running every September since 2007 and is regarded as East Galway’s premier arts festival. It draws local artists alongside invited guest artists, with the mix producing a programme that feels genuinely rooted in the place rather than parachuted in. If you enjoy being surprised by what turns up in a small Irish town for a long weekend, this is the kind of event that rewards a trip.
The programme runs across multiple venues in the town and along the lake, so the festival has a wandering, unhurried quality - you move between spaces rather than sitting in one spot all day. Expect original art and sculpture exhibitions, workshops open to all ages, poetry readings under the Shorelines banner “Poetry Lines at Shorelines”, dedicated film nights screening short films and documentaries, and the Steeple Sessions for live performance. The Big Art Sale fundraiser is a regular fixture and a good way to take something home. A vintage machinery display has featured in past years, and family programming runs alongside the more adult-focused talks and workshops. The Gallery at the Workhouse - a permanent exhibition space first used by the festival in 2013 - is one of the main anchors for visual arts events. Emphasis across the whole programme falls on literature, visual arts, drama, and music and song.
Portumna sits at the southern tip of County Galway where the River Shannon meets Lough Derg, about 50 km south-east of Galway city. The quickest road approach from Galway is via the N65, and from Dublin the M6 motorway connects to the N65 at Ballinasloe, making it roughly two hours from the capital. Public transport to Portumna is limited - Bus Éireann serves the town on some routes but connections are infrequent, so driving is the practical option for most visitors. Parking in the town centre is generally fine outside peak hours, and the spread of festival venues across Portumna means most things are walkable once you arrive.
The town has plenty to fill any time around the festival programme - Portumna Castle and its walled gardens, the Forest Park on the Lough Derg shore, and the Workhouse Museum are all worth a look. There is more to see in Portumna and across Co. Galway.
Heading to Multiple venues at Lough Derg in Portumna? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Portumna area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.