Dermot Kennedy To Bring Global Irish Music Festival To Australia

Dermot Kennedy has announced the launch of Misneach, a new global Irish music festival that will debut in Australia next year.

Misneach is heading to Sydney on Sunday, 16 March, and will be held at The Domain. The full line-up will be revealed soon, but we’ve already discovered that Dermot Kennedy will curate the line-ups in partnership with Ireland Music Week.

After making its debut in Sydney, Kennedy’s global Irish music festival will head to Boston, Massachusetts, on 18-19 March. The festival aims to become a new, essential part of both cities’ St. Patrick’s Day, with Kennedy looking to provide a fresh spotlight on contemporary and traditional Irish music.

“For so many years now, I have watched the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in so many different cities with a massive sense of pride,” Kennedy explained in a statement.

The acclaimed singer-songwriter has always been moved by seeing Irish culture be celebrated across the globe but had a niggling feeling that maybe something was lacking: “For a country so rich in culture, I didn’t see it being represented fully in these events worldwide, and I wondered, could we change that?”

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Kennedy continued, “With this inaugural year, we hope to begin an annual tradition that will enrich the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations around the world with music and the arts by showcasing some of the best new and established Irish musical talent, as well as [the] musical talent of the Irish diaspora.

“We will also be giving back to the communities in Ireland and the host cities. I’ve been lucky enough to feel the love that the world has for Ireland and its music, and I’m so excited to be starting something very special.”

Misneach will feature Kennedy playing headline shows, spotlighting contemporary and traditional Irish artists, artists representing Irish culture, and rising local artists in Sydney.

Punters looking to attend the festival can access an exclusive 60-minute pre-sale by signing up for Kennedy’s newsletter. Sign up before 10 am AEDT on Monday, 7 October, to receive a code for the pre-sale opening on Wednesday, 9 October, at 9 am AEDT.

Frontier Members can access pre-sale tickets at 10 am AEDT on Wednesday, 9 October, with the general sale starting on Friday, 11 October, at 10 am AEDT. You can find more ticketing information on the Frontier Touring website.

A portion of the Sydney festival profit will benefit the Irish not-for-profit Barretstown, which provides a camp for children with serious illnesses, and Ireland Funds Australia.