Festival fine-tunes this year’s lineup

In the words of Rory Gallagher: “Look out baby, your man is back in town!” Who’s "your man" in this instance? He’s the International Guitar Festival. And what’s the town? Why, it’s Clonakilty of course!

Excitement ahead of the hugely popular annual festival has just reached fever pitch with the announcement of the first wave of artists confirmed for the 2026 edition.

This September, a global cavalcade of musicians from all the far-flung corners of the world will descend upon Clonakilty, aka Guitartown, for what will be the 22nd Clonakilty International Guitar Festival (CIGF).

The first wave of confirmed artists includes the likes of Northern Irish folk icon Paul Brady; Americana roots and folk duo, DUG; American multi-instrumentalist and poet, Leah Song; Irish trad-punk outfit, The Wran; the real bard of Cork, John Spillane, and many, many more.

Paul Brady is one of the headliners this year, marking a nice full circle for the man who graced the stage at Shanley’s Bar during the second ever CIGF in 2006.

At that time, his unexpected collaboration with Bill Shanley and the house band became a pivotal moment in the festival's history, establishing a precedent for spontaneous musical collaboration.

Brady said: “So looking forward to returning to the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival in September.

“One of the best guitar-centered celebratory events there is!”

Lorkin O’Reilly is set to return to the festival this year with his celebrated transatlantic roots and folk rock behemoth, DUG, after first captivating audiences at CIGF as a solo artist back in 2018.

This year, DUG, driven by banjos, fiddles, and resonator guitars, will close out the festival on the final night.

Recalling fond memories of his previous visit, O’Reilly said: “I sang to about 30 people in Con & Maura’s Bar and was absolutely bricking it. Pretty sure it was my first ever festival slot, and it’s one of those gigs that’s stayed with me ever since.

“Fast forward eight years, and it’s a real privilege to be heading back with DUG.”

Leah Song, renowned as the frontwoman of Atlanta-based folk duo, Rising Appalachia, will bring her storytelling and musical talents to the festival with two headline performances and a school visit as part of CIGF’s Reverb programme of community engagement.

From the Comeragh Mountains in county Waterford, come the four wild Dunford brothers of that The Wran who will be taking part in this year’s CIGF Culture Night performance, distilling folklore and fury into a powerful poitín of high proof, Irish sonic spirits.

The festival promises a spectacular mix of established favourites and emerging talents, with other confirmed artists such as Bill Shanley, Cliffords, The Fynches, The Céilí Allstars, Fraser Morgan, Justin Grounds, Jean Pack and the Slay Babies, Porter Boys Social Club, Intricate, The Monks, Jenny McNamara Band, Shimmerboy, Surfside 61, No Signal, The Bones Below, and The Gladstone Band, with even more acts to be added to the lineup in the coming weeks.

As always, the festival is built around four strands: ticketed performances, The Free Festival Trail, a series of workshops and Reverb, the festival’s year-round community engagement programme.

CIGF 2026 runs from 16-20 September in Clonakilty, West Cork.

For more information on the West Cork festival or to book tickets, visit clonguitarfest.com.