← All events
family · Friday 3 July 2026 · 7:00pm 
Rockschool Summer Camp Concert 2026
At The Glens Centre · The New Line, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
At The Glens Centre · The New Line, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
Every summer a group of teenagers walks into The Glens Centre in Manorhamilton with their instruments and, one intense week later, walks back onto the same stage to play a proper gig for their families and the town. That is the Rockschool Summer Camp Concert - a free public showcase that has been drawing crowds in Co. Leitrim for close to two decades. The programme is led by Dee Armstrong, formerly of Kíla, and has a track record of turning raw teenage enthusiasm into something genuinely worth watching. If you have a young musician in the family, or if you just enjoy live music in a friendly room, this is a fine way to spend a Friday evening.
The concert is the payoff for a week of intensive group tuition. Participants - teenagers who have spent the week working with professional musicians - perform the material they have built and rehearsed together. Past Rockschool cohorts have gone on to develop as professional musicians, and Grooveline is among the acts that came up through the programme. The atmosphere at these end-of-camp gigs tends to be warm and a little electric - the kind of show where the audience is rooting hard for the people on stage. It is informal and family-friendly, held in The Glens Centre’s main performance space, which has a proper stage, professional lighting and sound. Expect a mix of styles and instruments depending on who signed up for the week.
Manorhamilton sits at the junction of several main roads in north Co. Leitrim - the N16 from Sligo (about 35 minutes) and the R280 from Enniskillen are the main approaches. From Dublin, take the M4 west through Mullingar and pick up the N4 towards Sligo, then branch north on the N16; allow around two and a half hours. There is no direct rail link to Manorhamilton; the nearest station is Sligo, from where Bus Eireann route 066 runs towards the town. The Glens Centre is on The New Line, a short walk from the town centre, and street parking is generally available in the surrounding streets.
The town is the main hub of north Leitrim and makes a natural base for exploring the Dartry Mountains and the Iron Age hillfort at Dún Mhuiríghean overlooking the town. There is more to see in Manorhamilton and across Co. Leitrim.
Heading to The Glens Centre in Manorhamilton? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Manorhamilton area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.