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music · Saturday 29 August 2026 · 8:00pm 
Kíla
At Mermaid Arts Centre · Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow, A98 N5P1
At Mermaid Arts Centre · Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow, A98 N5P1
Kíla, the Dublin-formed band that has spent three decades blending Irish traditional music with influences from across the world, play the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray on Saturday 29 August 2026. The seven-piece band built its reputation on a sound that mixes whistles, fiddles, uilleann pipes, bones and bodhrán with djembe, congas, mandolins, brass and electric guitar, an approach that has taken them from Irish festival stages to film scoring work, including an IFTA-winning score for Arracht and contributions to Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated animated features.
The evening show starts at 8pm, with an earlier family-friendly matinee performance also scheduled the same day for anyone bringing children who want an earlier finish. Kíla’s live sound rests on furious jigs and reels reworked with global rhythm section instruments, described by the venue as freewheeling instrumentals and primal rhythms rather than a straight trad set, and the band’s Irish-language vocals sit alongside instrumental pieces built for a full band rather than a session line up. Given their film scoring work, expect a set that moves between driving dance tunes and more textured, cinematic instrumental pieces. Mermaid Arts Centre’s auditorium gives the band’s expanded percussion and brass section proper room, which suits a group built around ensemble sound rather than a small session set up.
Mermaid Arts Centre is on Main Street in Bray, a short walk from Bray Dart and rail station on the Dublin to Greystones line. Dublin Bus and Dart services run regularly from Dublin city centre. Public car parks are available in Bray town centre near the venue.
Bray’s seafront, harbour and the cliff walk to Greystones all sit close to Mermaid Arts Centre on Main Street. There is more to see in Bray and across Co. Wicklow.
Heading to Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray? Wicklow has plenty more to see. Read the Bray area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Mermaid Arts Centre? These Wicklow tours book out in summer.