Live at Castle Mills is a new tented concert series set beside the river in the shadow of Kilkenny Castle.
Matt Berninger, the vocalist and lyricist of The National plays the first ever Live at Castle Mills concert in Kilkenny on Saturday July 18th 2026, with special guests Lisa O’Neill and Engine Alley.
- General admission tickets are €64.50 plus fees, with a VIP soundcheck experience add-on at €79.50 plus fees.
- General sale opens Friday March 27th at 10am from castlemills.ie.
- Cherry Tree fan club presale opens Wednesday March 25th at 10am.
Berninger’s second solo album Get Sunk came out in May 2025, a record that finds him in reflective mode following a move from Los Angeles to Connecticut with songs about the people who shape you, shifting landscapes and rediscovered joy in making things.
Produced with his wife Carin Besser, it’s a warmer, more open record than Serpentine Prison (2020), his Booker T. Jones-produced debut. Expect a set drawing on both solo records alongside selections from The National’s deep catalogue.
Cavan folk singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill is one of the best live performers in Ireland right now. Her album All Of This Is Chance was among the most critically acclaimed Irish releases of recent years. She brings her trademark intensity and warmth: socially engaged songs and sharp wit in equal measure.
Engine Alley round out the bill – the Kilkenny band formed by brothers Canice and Brian Kenealy who brought a surreal energy to the Irish scene of the early 1990s with albums A Sonic Holiday and Shot in the Light. Their third album Showroom arrived in 2018 and this is their first show in two years.
The venue is a short walk from Kilkenny city centre. No on-site parking – walking or public transport recommended.
Matt Berninger plus Lisa O’Neill and Engine Alley – Live at Castle Mills, Kilkenny, Saturday July 18th 2026. Tickets €64.50 plus fees (GA) / €79.50 plus fees (VIP soundcheck add-on). General sale Friday March 27th at 10am from castlemills.ie.
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.
