CROÍLÁR Music & Arts Festival returns to Athlone from Friday April 17th to Sunday April 19th 2026 for its second year.
Featuring a programme of Irish alternative talent – the festival takes place across 12 venues in Athlone including St Mary’s Church.
Performances come this year from artful Saint Sister artist Morgana, Galway’s experimental art metallic rock Olan Monk, Choice Music Prize nominated Northern Irish folk songwriter Joshua Burnside, electronic trad act Huartan, Dreamy art-pop from Stella And The Dreaming, Athlone’s own indie-folk singer-songwriter Eva Coyle, Dublin chillwave-leaning duo Sei Green, Wah Wah Wino’s baggy throwback Officer John, indie orchestral act Last Apollo, indiepop four-piece Winemom, rap bopper Ahmed, With Love; Limerick songwriter Laura Duff, goth disco from Cable Boy, seven piece band And He, The Fool, melodic indie from Sell Everything, rap colloquial Lil Skag and Sugaboo, electronic artist Spooklet and loads more.
On the DJ front, there’s Big Cheeks, Mercorn B2B Bull Horris, Cáit, brawni and more.
All very much in the Nialler9 bag.
There is also a culture programme featuring Seanchoíche storytelling night, comedy stages, live painting and visual arts installations,and mindfulness activities such as yoga and breathwork.
Tickets
Weekend passes are on sale now, with early bird ticket pricing starting at €75.85. For full programme announcements, line-ups and volunteer opportunities, visit the official festival website at croilar.ie.
CROÍLÁR started in 2025 as a a community-driven festival, founded Jack O’Meara and Eddie Connolly with a passionate committee of volunteers and arts enthusiasts. The organisers continue to encourage artist applications and community involvement, inviting creatives from all disciplines to contribute to the festival’s evolving programme.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
