The last day of the festival packed a punch in terms of energy and names on the bill. Unfortunately I missed much of the afternoon’s entertainment trying to sort a technical glitch [RIP Laptop] so when I did arrive to the hotel grounds, everything was in full swing. I arrived and headed straight for the Hidden Gems tent to catch Ae Mak in action who performed the entirety of her newest album which had only been released on May 29th. A Dundalk native who someone on the day referred to as an Irish nod to the Aussie singer Lorde, Ae Mak is set to play a slot at the upcoming Beyond the Pale festival in Glendalough show later this month and will be performing a headline show in the Workmans Cellar in Dublin city on July 23rd.
I headed over to the main stage to catch the tail end of folk group Moxie’s set who were accompanied on stage by singer Julia hailing from Tunisia who they
will be collaborating on an album coming out later this year. It was then time for arguably the biggest name on the festival bill for 2026 The Waterboys. I hadn’t realised up until that point how many Waterboys songs I actually knew. This was a stroke of genius by the organisers to close out the festival with this group, it was lively, nostalgic and they had the whole crowd up dancing and bopping along. Thoroughly enjoyed their set and getting to capture some of their fans who had pulled out their favourite merch for the night. The atmosphere wasabsolutely stunning on the last night with smiles painted across the faces of all the organisers and volunteers and what a well deserved close out after a busy three days for them.
I’ve said it for a long time that local festivals are really where it’s at and that people shouldn’t have to travel to major cities to be entertained. By bringing in a mix of up-and-coming and established acts from the local, national and international scenes, supporting local vendors and getting locals involved in the setup, marketing and crowd management, this festival was destined to be successful and so great to see the local community continuing to come out and support it every year since its inception. I thoroughly recommend getting a ticket early to next year’s event because similar to the moniker of its walled garden stage, this festival is truly a hidden gem that is not to be missed.
Ae Mak photos:
Moxie photos:
The Waterboys photos:
Photos & Words – Lisa Hamilton @lisahamiltonphotography