Event guide: Noah Kahan and It’s a Wonderful Life among best things to see this week in Ireland

Event of the week

Noah KahanThursday, November 19th, Saturday, November 21st, and Sunday, November 22nd, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €99.90 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie

Noah Kahan’s popularity hasn’t dipped since his album Stick Season thrust him into the mainstream in 2022. The Vermont-born singer-songwriter’s fourth album, The Great Divide, which he released in January, has effortlessly expanded his fan base. On it, Kahan’s amiable take on Americana/folk is enhanced by the production and writing skills of Aaron Dessner of The National, who has also helped broaden the creative output of many acts, including Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Girl in Red and our own Lisa Hannigan. Kahan’s guest at these three Dublin shows is the hotly tipped Texas indie-pop singer-songwriter Bella Kay. Kahan returns to Ireland in 2027 with two sold-out shows the Aviva Stadium, in Dublin, on July 17th and 18th.

Gigs

Jeff TweedyMonday, November 16th, Black Box, Galway, 7pm, €45/€43; Tuesday, November 17th, Ambassador Theatre, Dublin, 7pm, €50.20/€48.20 (sold out); Thursday, November 19th, St Lukes, Cork, 7pm, €46.72 (sold out); Friday, November 20th, St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, 7pm, €44 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie

Perhaps best known for his work with the American bands Uncle Tupelo and, more successfully, Wilco, Jeff Tweedy is also a significant solo artist, with five acclaimed albums to his name. The most recent, Twilight Override, from 2025, features 30 songs – Tweedy attributes his prolificacy to the general sense of decline in societal norms. Such a noted songwriter rarely plays more than one show in Ireland, let alone four, so do the best you can to nab a ticket.

JungleWednesday, November 18th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €62.35, ticketmaster.ie

Following a line-up change in 2023, when their long-time contributor Lydia Kitto became a full-time member, London neo-soul/funk/dance band Jungle have been on the up and up. The Brit Award-winning group’s most recent album, Sunshine, oozes sprightly pop/soul and smooth jazz, with confessional heft in some of the more solemn songs. Their special guest is the dancecentric Los Angeles duo Rio Kosta.

Film

Peugeot IFI French Film FestivalFrom Wednesday, November 18th, until Sunday, November 29th, Irish Film Institute, Dublin, various times and prices, ifi.ie

Another year, another welcome tranche of award contenders, premieres, classics, special guests and post-film Q&As. This year’s festival opens with the Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Words of Love (Wednesday, November 18th, 7.30pm) and closes with Fred Cavayé’s starry retelling of Les Misérables. Other highlights include the meditative All of a Sudden (Sunday, November 22nd, 4.30pm), the emotive A Place for Her (Monday, November 23rd, 6.10pm) and the insightful drama A Woman’s Life (Friday, November 27th, 8.30pm), which will be followed by a Q&A with its director, Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet. A sidebar addition is the screening of four rarely seen films starring Catherine Deneuve.

Stage

HeathersFrom Tuesday, November 17th, until Saturday, November 21st, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €65.60/€52.30, ticketmaster.ie

Not your usual all-singing, all-dancing, happy-clappy stage musical but a searing black comedy, based on the 1988 movie of the same name, touching on teen bullying, sexual assault, school violence, eating disorders and suicidal ideation. Audience discretion is advised, and under-16s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian aged 18-plus.

It’s a Wonderful LifeFrom Tuesday, November 17th, until Sunday, January 10th, Gate Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €53/€48/€43/€33, gatetheatre.ie

Adapted from the 1946 classic film of the same name (which is itself based on the 1943 short story The Greatest Gift), It’s a Wonderful Life is the Gate Theatre’s persuasive seasonal production, a story of optimism, rescue and, perhaps, a miracle or two. Claire O’Reilly directs a cast that includes Paul Reid (George Bailey), Juliette Crosbie (Mary Bailey) and Shane Daniel Byrne (Clarence). Previews begin on Tuesday, November 17th; opening night is on Saturday, November 21st.

Festival

Jonathan Swift FestivalFrom Wednesday, November 18th, until Saturday, November 28th, Dublin, various venues, times and prices, jonathanswiftfestival.ie

Now in its third year, and produced by a loyal team of supporters, the Jonathan Swift Festival celebrates the 300th anniversary of Gulliver’s Travels by featuring the family-friendly Gulliver’s Travels Storytelling (Saturday, November 21st, Deanery Mews, 11am and 2pm, €10). Another highlight is the world premiere of And Then There Was Gulliver (Thursday, November 26th, St Patrick’s Cathedral, 8pm, €25), which explores the life of Swift through drama, song and discussion.

Visual art

Norah McGuinness: PioneerFrom Saturday, November 14th, until Saturday, February 27th, Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, Co Louth, free, highlanes.ie

A painter of vibrant landscapes – and a founder of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art, in 1943 – Norah McGuinness (1901-1980) has rarely been fully exhibited. A former student of the portrait painter Patrick Tuohy and the stained-glass artist and illustrator Harry Clarke, McGuinness (with Nano Reid) represented Ireland at the 1950 Venice Biennale, paving the way for the increased participation of women artists there. The conclusion of Highlanes Gallery’s 20th-anniversary programme, this exhibition marks the 125th anniversary of McGuinness’s birth.

Next weekend

Dingle Literary FestivalFrom Friday, November 20th, until Sunday, November 22nd, Dingle, Co Kerry, various venues, times and prices, dinglelit.ie

A packed three-day programme of conversations, workshops and readings from well-known and emerging writers. Some of this year’s highlights include Sebastian Barry in conversation with the books editor of The Irish Times, Martin Doyle (Friday, November 20th, Dingle Skellig Hotel, 7pm, €15), Essays in Island, with Sinéad Gleeson and Noreen Masud (Saturday, November 21st, noon, An Díseart, €12) and Róisín Kiberd discussing her recent book The Most Normal Woman (Sunday, November 22nd, noon, An Díseart, €12).

Book it this week

Adam Kay, Ambassador Theatre, Dublin, February 12th, ticketmaster.ie

Martin Hayes & Friends, NCH, Dublin, March 10th, 11th and 13th, nch.ie

Rod Stewart, O2, Belfast, April 27th, ticketmaster.ie

Shania Twain, Marlay Park, Dublin, June 26th, ticketmaster.ie