Event guide: Púca Festival, Jazzy and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead

Event of the week

Púca FestivalFrom Thursday, October 29th, until Sunday, November 1st, Trim and Athboy, Co Meath, various venues, times and prices, pucafestival.com

Rooted in Ireland’s significance as a birthplace of Halloween, through the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, Púca Festival balances tradition (storytelling, heritage, mythology, handicrafts, divining) with contemporary entertainment. Music highlights of this four-day festival include the triple bill of The Stunning, Sharon Shannon and Mundy (Thursday, October 29th, Púca Big Top, Trim, 7pm, €35), as well as The Waterboys (Sunday, November 1st, Púca Big Top, Trim, 7pm, €50). Comedy highlights include Enya Martin (Thursday, October 29th, Swift Cultural Centre, Trim, 7.30pm, €29) and Shane Daniel Byrne (Saturday, October 31st, Swift Cultural Centre, Trim, 7.30pm, €29). Samhain Circus is pitching its tent at the Fairgreen, in Athboy (9pm, €25, over-18s only), for the duration of the festival.

Gigs

JazzySaturday, October 24th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €61, ticketmaster.ie

When the Dublin DJ, performer and songwriter Jazzy topped the charts in the summer of 2023 with her debut single, Giving Me, she celebrated by buying everyone at her local pub a drink. This weekend sees the release of her long-awaited debut album, Peace & Patience, and while you couldn’t expect her to buy a drink for everyone at 3Arena, she’ll be celebrating its arrival in fine style. Special guests include two acclaimed tastemakers and floor shakers: the London remixer and producer Route 94 and the Dublin DJ Kayleigh Glynn. Jazzy also plays the Telegraph Building in Belfast, on Saturday, November 14th.

[ Dublin DJ Jazzy: ‘Calvin Harris messaged me on Instagram to say he loved my song’Opens in new window ]

Macklemore & FriendsMonday, October 26th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €67.65 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie

Two months ago Macklemore was preparing to join Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour as an opening act, alongside the Irish acts Biird and Beoga. On its first night, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4th, the Seattle-born rapper gave a two-minute speech calling for a free Palestine and then performed his song Hind’s Hall, which he dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. By September 14th, Macklemore had been officially dropped from the tour, prompting him to announce this Free Palestine tour, proceeds from which he will donate to numerous charities and other organisations that support the Palestinian people. The line-up of Friends for this show had not been announced at the time of going to print, but we wouldn’t be entirely surprised if he had invited Biird and Beoga to join him on stage.

Brandon FlowersTuesday, October 27th, 3Olympia Theatre Dublin, 7pm, €61.90 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie

Solo work by the lead vocalist of an established band can struggle to make much of an impact, but Brandon Flowers, of The Killers, appears to have ignored the memo. With three successful albums to his name – Flamingo, from 2010, The Desired Effect, from 2015, and Thrasher, from August – Flowers has embraced the solo life as if to the manner born. He has enough of his own songs to fill the set list, of course, but we bet that fans are also hoping that he includes one or two Killers classics.

The StrokesWednesday, October 28th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €83.75 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie

As they mark the 25th anniversary of their influential debut album, Is This It – “the template for rock’n’roll in the modern day”, according to the tastemaker Zane Lowe – The Strokes have had to contend with largely middling reviews of Reality Awaits, the album they released this summer. It’s an awkward reality that their previous two albums, Comedown Machine, from 2013, and The New Abnormal, from 2020, got similarly tepid responses. But Julian Casablancas and his bandmates are as popular live as ever. Their special guests at this sold-out show are the English band Fat White Family and the Australian songwriter Alex Cameron.

Festival

Haunted DancehallSaturday, October 24th, and Sunday, October 25th, NCH, Dublin, various times, €45/€35, nch.ie

To call Haunted Dancehall a Halloween festival with a difference is an understatement. Named after the 1994 album by the English electronic group The Sabres of Paradise, it focuses on boundary-pushing shades of music instead of obvious spooky tropes. Across three rooms and two days, this year’s music acts include Kelela, from Washington; Voice Actor, from Sheffield; Proc Fiskal, from Edinburgh; Nashpaints, from Dublin; and Caitlin Orla Eve, from Cork. A particular highlight is a Halloween staple with a twist: a presentation (on Sunday, October 25th) of FW Murnau’s film Nosferatu, live-scored by Chicago’s Circuit des Yeux and accompanied by Alan Sparhawk of Low.

Visual art

Sean Atmos: Last LightFrom Thursday, October 29th, until Friday, December 11th, Segotia, Rathmines, Dublin, free, segotia.ie

Perhaps best known for his big public artworks – notably Bláthú, a nine-storey, 750sq m mural at Bolands Mills in Dublin, the largest ever painted in Ireland – the street artist Sean Atmos presents, in his debut studio exhibition, far more intimate paintings that explore and experiment, he says, without any expectations. “This show invites the public in to my own private world and into work you’d never find on the streets of the city.” The artist will be in conversation at the studio on Saturday, October 31st, at 11am, €5.

Comedy

Richard AyoadeTuesday, October 27th, and Wednesday, October 28th, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm, €51.40, ticketmaster.ie

The actor, comedian, presenter, writer and music-video/film director Richard Ayoade presents a show based on his most recent book, Afterthoughts, or Some Pistachios Won’t Open: Wisdom for the Unreflective. Ayoade’s comedic delivery is deadpan and absurdist; if you’re a fan of axioms such as “It’s very important to listen to people, but we must never underestimate the joy of ignoring them,” then you know what to do.

Next weekend

Keep Her LitSaturday, October 31st, and Sunday, November 1st, St Mary’s Church, Inistioge, Co Kilkenny, various venues, times and prices, linktr.ee/keepherlit

Since its inaugural outing, in 2022, Keep Her Lit has showcased women in Irish traditional and folk music. This year’s festival features the concert Awe na Mná, with Karan Casey, Clare Sands, Inni-K and Brídín (Saturday, October 31st, 8pm, €25). On Sunday, November 1st, a series of events (some free) in Inistioge village includes trad sessions, sean-nós dancing and singing workshops, and storytelling.

Book it this week

Rod Stewart, 3Arena, Dublin, April 23rd & 24th, 2027, ticketmaster.ie

Don McLean, 3Arena, Dublin, May 14th, ticketmaster.ie

Mario Rosenstock, Marquee, Cork, June 20th, ticketmaster.ie

Dermot Kennedy, Virgin Media Park, Cork, June 23rd-24th, ticketmaster.ie