Kinsale to come alive for An Tulca Festival
Cillian Ferry
Kinsale is preparing for a weekend of Halloween celebrations as An Tulca Kinsale Halloween Festival returns for its fifth year, bringing folklore, music, dance and community creativity to the town on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November.
Part of Creative Kinsale - An Tulca, as it became known in 2024 - is a festival made with the community, for the community. Led by voluntary Chairperson and Artistic Director Yvonne Coughlan, who has been at the heart of the initiative since 2014 and developed it into a festival in 2022, An Tulca offers a distinctive alternative to simply watching a parade: everyone is invited to help create the celebration.
Yvonne Coughlan said: “An Tulca is about giving people of all ages the opportunity to make something, learn something and become part of something wonderful together. Whether you join a workshop, carry a lantern, learn a song, dance at the céilí or simply come along to enjoy the atmosphere, there is a place for you. And importantly, everything is free.”
The festival's signature events are the Trick-or-Treat Parade at 4pm on Saturday 31 October, and the Lantern Parade at 6.30pm on Sunday 1 November. Both parades will feature creative contributions from the community, with local people encouraged to make their own costumes and lanterns, and contribute characters, stories and songs to the celebrations.
In the lead-up to the festival, Tara de las Casas will lead lantern-making workshops, Paddy Doyle will facilitate storytelling workshops, including a family session at Kinsale Library, and Fiona Tierney will lead community singing workshops. These free workshops invite participants to develop the lanterns, stories and songs that will help bring the Samhain celebrations to life.
Sunday’s Lantern Parade will be followed by Céilí Chionn tSáile Samhain, presented in partnership with Gaelscoil Chionn tSáile. The parade culminate in Songs at the Threshold, a lantern-lit celebration of storytelling, music, song and movement, with returning UK-based performance collective Carnifølk helping bring community-created stories and Irish folklore to life.
Keeping An Tulca free is central to its mission. The volunteer committee works hard to ensure that families can enjoy the programme without the financial barriers often associated with cultural events, while still paying the artists who make it possible. The festival gratefully acknowledges the support of Cork County Council, Fáilte Ireland, Pure Cork and Transition Town Kinsale (TTK) and Eli Lilly, alongside its wider network of community partners, local businesses, artists and volunteers. Its place within Creative Kinsale reflects the festival's commitment to nurturing local creativity, cultural participation and community connection.
With just over a week to go, the committee has launched its 2026 iDonate appeal to help fund this year's programme and secure the festival's future. Collection buckets will also be available at festival events. There is no expectation that participants donate to attend; rather, those who are able are invited to help keep the celebration accessible to everyone and make a return in 2027 possible.
“Every contribution helps us pay our artists and keep these opportunities open to the whole community. We hope that local people, businesses and visitors who value what An Tulca brings to Kinsale will support us,” said the committee.