← All events
music · Sunday 12 July 2026 · 3:00pm 
Seán Ryan and Ciara Callanan at Music in the Forest
At Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary · Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow
At Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary · Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow
On a Sunday afternoon in July, one of Ireland’s most distinctive concert settings plays host to two accomplished traditional performers. Seán Ryan and Ciara Callanan bring a programme of Irish traditional music, song and step dance to the open-air Cathedral of Trees at Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary - an outdoor forest amphitheatre in the Wicklow hills. This is the kind of afternoon that is hard to replicate in a concert hall: music heard in the open air, surrounded by trees, with a real sense of occasion. It suits people who love traditional music done properly, and anyone after a memorable Sunday out in Wicklow.
The performance runs from 3pm to 5pm and covers a wide range of traditional material - dance tunes, airs, step dance and song, drawing on both ancient and modern Irish repertoire. What sets this apart from a standard trad session is the storytelling woven through it: Ryan and Callanan introduce each piece by sharing the history and context behind it, so the music lands with meaning rather than just atmosphere. Instruments include whistles, concertina, harp and piano, with step dance woven in alongside the songs. A portion of the ticket proceeds goes to the Children’s Health Foundation, which supports children’s hospitals across Ireland.
The event is part of the Music in the Forest series at Dorlindon - now in its second year, running weekend afternoons through the summer. Gates open at 2pm, giving time to walk the paved forest tracks from the entrance to the performance area, roughly a ten-minute walk through the sanctuary grounds.
Kilmacanogue sits just off the N11 in north Wicklow, less than 35km south of Dublin city centre - about 30 to 40 minutes by car depending on traffic. From Dublin, take the N11 south and follow signs for Kilmacanogue village. Parking at Dorlindon is limited and reserved for ticket holders; the organisers actively encourage carpooling to manage numbers. There is no reliable public transport directly to the sanctuary, so driving or sharing a lift is the practical option for most visitors.
The village sits at the foot of the Great Sugar Loaf, one of Wicklow’s most recognisable peaks, with walking routes starting close by. 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.