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music · Saturday 8 August 2026 · 7:30pm 
Hothouse Flowers
At Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre · Ballykeeffe, Kilmanagh, Co. Kilkenny
At Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre · Ballykeeffe, Kilmanagh, Co. Kilkenny
Hothouse Flowers bring their singular blend of soul, gospel and rock to one of Ireland’s most unusual outdoor stages on Saturday 8 August 2026. The Dublin band have been doing this for four decades - busking on Grafton Street as teenagers in the mid-1980s before their debut album People went to number one in Ireland in 1988 and number two in the UK. Seeing them play outdoors in a Kilkenny limestone quarry on a summer evening is exactly the kind of night that stays with you.
Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre sits in a restored slate quarry near Kilmanagh, about 15 kilometres west of Kilkenny city. Rock climbers discovered the sheltered, south-facing bowl in the 1980s, and in 2000 a team of local volunteers transformed it into an entertainment venue - inspired in part by the Minack open-air theatre in Cornwall. A purpose-built outdoor stage followed in 2011, and the 850-seat venue has since hosted the Saw Doctors, Bagatelle and Nathan Carter among many others.
The quarry walls act as a natural acoustic shell, and the intimacy of the space means there is not a bad seat in the house. Hothouse Flowers - fronted by Liam Ó Maonlaí, whose voice has always been the band’s centrepiece - are known for sets that move between their classic catalogue and improvisational gospel-tinged passages. Expect “Don’t Go”, “I’m Sorry”, “Give It Up” and much else, delivered with the kind of live energy the band have never lost. Bring a layer for after dark; summer evenings in the Kilkenny countryside cool off once the sun drops behind the quarry rim.
The venue is run on a not-for-profit, community basis, and organisers have kept ticket prices steady for several years as a matter of policy - making nights like this genuinely accessible.
Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre is at Ballykeeffe, Kilmanagh, Co. Kilkenny. From Kilkenny city, take the R693 west towards Callan and follow signs for Kilmanagh - the journey takes around 20 minutes by car. From Dublin, Kilkenny is about 130 kilometres via the M9 motorway (roughly 90 minutes). Bus Éireann runs regular coaches from Dublin to Kilkenny city, but onward transport to Kilmanagh is limited, so driving or arranging a lift from the city is the practical option. On-site parking is available at the venue.
The county rewards a longer visit - medieval streetscapes, the River Nore, and some of the finest medieval architecture in Ireland are all within easy reach of the city centre. There is more to see in Kilkenny and across Co. Kilkenny.
Heading to Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre in Kilkenny? Kilkenny has plenty more to see. Read the Kilkenny area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.