Kate Twohig is the co-director of When Next We Meet, an independent Irish music festival taking place in Tipperary over the June bank holiday weekend. The festival champions original Irish artists, regional creativity, and community connection, and has been steadily growing into one of the country’s most exciting grassroots cultural events.
Kate Twohig is an experienced event curator, creative producer, and festival director whose work is rooted in community, collaboration, and artistic excellence. Based in Tipperary, she brings a unique blend of logistical skill and creative insight to every project she undertakes, ensuring that creativity and connection remain central to the audience’s experience.
Her event curation and management experience spans both regional and national stages, with roles across programming, marketing and artistic leadership. She has worked with Clonmel Junction Festival, Clonmel Applefest, Live At St. Luke’s Cork, Kilkenny Arts Festival, and Cúirt International Literary Festival, and in 2024, she served as Acting Artistic Director and Manager of Nenagh Arts Centre. Her work is consistently shaped by a commitment to inclusivity, place-making, and supporting emerging voices.
Alongside her curatorial work, Kate is an active composer, musical director, and performer. Whether directing a festival, writing for film, or facilitating creative workshops, Kate centres her work around building artistic communities and making space for original, regionally rooted creativity to thrive.
Tell us about When Next We Meet.
One of Ireland’s smallest music festivals, When Next We Meet returns for its fifth year, bringing cutting-edge alternative music to the magical grounds of Raheen House, Clonmel’s 3.5-acre Georgian gem turned boutique hotel.
Known for its carefully curated, intimate nights that once capped at 400, the festival has grown just enough, now welcoming 800 music lovers per night while retaining its handcrafted, big-hearted atmosphere. The 2026 festival unfolds over the June bank holiday weekend, beginning with a soft launch on Friday 29 May, followed by two packed days of music on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 May 2026.
Curated and produced by a passionate husband-wife team, this artist-led indie festival continues to punch far above its weight, and this year’s lineup is set to elevate South Tipperary’s reputation as a must-visit destination for music aficionados.
What can festival-goers expect?
Expect a bold mix of emerging voices, cult favourites and national talent. Our line up this year includes headline acts Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill and The Waterboys. Exciting rising acts The Wran and Cork’s Babyrat are creating a big draw too. Lots of local and emerging artists play across the weekend, with Ae Mak closing out the Hidden Gems Stage.
What goes into curating a festival of this nature?
A lot of passion primarily! About a month after the dust settles on one festival, we begin examining the feasibility of running another one… it’s been this way for five years now. Myself and Eoin split the roles up, with both of us wearing many hats across the year. Developing an audience is just as important as curating the line-up so a lot goes into shaping the experience for the audience here in Clonmel. Earning the trust of artists, managers, audiences and local businesses has been a big part of developing this too. We love this time of year where more staff and crew come on board and theirs a real sense of community and camaraderie.
In addition to your role as festival co-director, you wear many other hats: composer, musical director, and performer. Building artistic communities and making space for original, regionally rooted creativity to thrive is clearly very important to you. Tell us a little more about these callings.
Thank you! I found the experience of writing and performing music to be quite isolating at times when I was younger and felt a bit lost. This was what I loved doing, but why was I not feeling good about it? Through a series of opportunities, I’ve worked on some fantastic festivals, been invited to compose for mad theatre projects, and each time I’ve said yes to something, another thing grows from it. I love staying busy and being in rooms with people, so the musical direction and the choir I run, as well as festivals, really fulfill that need in being part of a collective. Being part of something bigger than myself. I can’t be the only one that felt that way, so in a town where not lots of opportunities were available for original artists, and where I ended up returning to in 2020 when an opportunity came along to activate things here, I thought it was a good idea.
Who is someone you look up to in the realm of the arts in Ireland?
Una Molloy. We are so lucky to have Una in our corner, as when you’re starting off with something like a small festival, it can feel a bit like being the kids at the table. Una never had that attitude towards myself and Eoin and has instilled so much confidence in us. I’ve long admired her tenacity, her events, and the artists she works with. I’m really looking forward to this year’s Hibernacle at Orlagh House in July.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
As a festival curator, it’s so rewarding to stand back and see the ideas that lived in your head being a real tangible thing that brings people together. In 2024, I approached a local group of activists, with the aim to raise money for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund through a night of music. It grew legs, and we hosted an incredible fundraiser with our town turning out in huge numbers to raise €18k. We were honoured by a visit from Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, ambassador for Palestine. From there the Clonmel Friends of Palestine grew and are holding a vigil every Saturday in our town.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about working as a festival curator?
That it is a real job, haha! It’s not one that’s always fully understood or reasonably compensated but it is a complex logistical project to manage. At the end of the day we hope those attending have the time of their lives, but behind the scenes, it’s a massive undertaking. You have to upskill in so many areas you’re not otherwise qualified in and be prepared to work well beyond what you might expect to get it off the ground.
What would you say to someone hoping to work within the festival space that’s unsure of their next steps?
Get in the door by volunteering. So many volunteers move onto paid roles, and you really get a feel for whether it’s for you. The hours can be long, but if you get a buzz from the type of work you’re doing , you’ll know straight away if it’s for you. I had some of the best years volunteering for our local arts festival as a 19/20 year old. It was the first time I felt “these are my people” and it stuck!
Kate Twohig’s life in culture
The last thing I saw and loved… My most recent night out was to The House Must Win, Mick Flannery’s play, in Cork’s The Everyman. I stood mesmerised by the band to the very last note. They really blew me away. Tabitha Smith was exceptional in her role as Grace, and as a musical director I was nerding out a bit on the way the band were built into the set, how screen monitors were used for cues. It was very satisfying and so well done.
The book I keep coming back to… One that I have read a number of times is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I live a lot in my head, and this one just struck a chord with me, the interconnectedness of people across time and the threads that weave them together. It was the score from the film that brought to the book and it was a very happy find.
I find inspiration in… What drives people’s actions, the motivators behind how we behave. Trauma, childhood, religion, relationships, culture, poverty. I find this all so fascinating. Understanding characters in books, or on stages. Even in songs. What’s the story behind the story? There’s obviously a lot of dubious pop culture psychology around now, but it’s a topic that I could discuss to the end of time.
My favourite film is… One Battle After Another has been on repeat in our house, and I think being able to stomach a lengthy film more than once is a good sign!
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… t.A.T.u. ‘All The Things She Said’.
The last piece of art I recommended is… Rosalía’s and Bjork’s performance of ‘Berghain’ at the Brit Awards.
I never leave the house without… I’m terrible at leaving the house and always forget something. I almost never have what I need.
The piece of art I still think about is… David Byrne in the 3Arena in 2018 as part of his American Utopia tour. Looking forward to another night of DB in St. Anne’s Park Dublin this June!
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… “If you stick your neck out, someone’s going to slap it.” It’s been a learning curve that when you’re doing something a little bit exposed to the public eye, people will have an opinion, good or bad. Trying to take that in your stride is wise – it’s not personal, it’s just what people do.
The art that means the most to me is… I’m 34 and read Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon McKenna as a small child. It still haunts me to this day, but in a good way. I think it’s appropriate to be aware of our history.
The most challenging thing about working in the arts is… What seems to feel like constantly seeking out the next job, or project, of funding application. It can leave me feeling defeated sometimes. I’m always mentally weighing up the pros and cons, and ultimately the pros win for me!
If I wasn’t a festival curator I would be… In an ideal world, getting to write and perform music in a somewhat sustainable capacity.
The magic of art to me is… Bringing people together through a shared understanding I think. Culture is so intrinsically tied to our identity, and how we relate to anyone we consider ‘other’. It has the ability to unite and overcome differences, in small pockets, that can lead onto bigger movements and real change. It’s like a test site in that sense.
The lighter side to that answer is that it can often simply be very good craic to go to a gig, or a festival or to be entertained for a short period of time in the company of good people. Both to me are magic.
Photography by Kevin O’Donnell Photography.
Also Read
