Cathy Desmond talks to Liam Byrne, who is to bring the sound of the viola da gamba to Kilkenny as part of the city’s arts festival.

A performance of Messiah, 275 years after the famous oratorio made its debut in this country, will be one of the highlights of Kilkenny Arts Festival, writes Cathy Desmond.

A fuming husband, a wife with a guilty secret and a jilted lover on the verge of a nervous breakdown are the main protagonists in a pair of short operas on the theme of love and lies presented by Opera Theatre Company at the Watergate Theatre during Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Here’s a round up of some of the best festival line-up’s country-wide, from Ailin Quinlan.