Lismore’s sweet sounds of success

THE sixth Lismore Music Festival takes place at the weekend. It’s Ireland’s only summer opera festival, competing with the well-established English Glyndebourne and other mid-European events.

Begun in 2010 by a small group of opera professionals, who saw in the wonderful surroundings of Lismore Castle an opportunity to bring music and environment together, it’s now a hugely popular event that packs the five days spanning the bank holiday weekend.

This year, Rossini’s La Cenerentola, with Irish soprano Carolyn Dobbin and Puerto Rican tenor Javier Abreu, directed by Dieter Kaegi, is the central focus, surrounded by recitals, concerts, dining and general festivities.