Armagh will host four days of pipe-based music when the William Kennedy Piping Festival returns from Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November 2026. Organised by the Armagh Pipers Club, the festival will feature classes, concerts, sessions, workshops and lectures at venues across the city.
Event times depend on the programme, and the festival organisers have advised visitors to check the latest information and book tickets through the official event listing. The programme includes both ticketed performances and sessions open to the public, offering opportunities for experienced musicians, learners and audiences to take part.
Opening night and Friday programme
The festival begins on Thursday 12 November with an 8pm session at The Charlemont Arms Hotel, featuring James Kinnear, Fin Moore, Sarah Hoy, Kevin Dugas and others.
Friday’s programme starts with an 11am schools concert at Armagh First Presbyterian Church on The Mall. The concert is open to schools by invitation only and costs £2. Performers include Fin Moore, Sarah Hoy, Kevin Dugas and James Kinnear.
At 7.30pm, the same church will host a concert marking 60 years of the Armagh Pipers Club. Tickets cost £25. The line-up includes Brian Finnegan, Ríoghnach Connolly, Barry Kerr, Eilís Lavelle, Méabh Smyth, Jack Warnock, the Vallely Family and Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, with Fintan Vallely as fear a’ tí.
Further Friday sessions are scheduled for 8pm at The Hole in the Wall Bar and 10pm at The Charlemont Arms Hotel.
Saturday workshops and concerts
Saturday 14 November brings a full day of activity at Aonach Mhacha. The Mark Donnelly Piping Academy classes run in two sessions, from 10am to 11.30am and from noon to 1pm, at a cost of £100. Small pipes classes, open to all levels, take place at the same times and cost £25.
From 11am until 7pm, APC tutors and pupils, alongside pupils from Traditional Arts Partnership South Armagh, will perform sessions in the Aonach Mhacha theatre and café. These sessions are open to everyone, with performances scheduled throughout the afternoon.
Saturday’s ticketed events include Uilleann Piping – The Next Generation at 2pm, The Cape Breton Tradition at 3.30pm and the festival concert at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10, while the festival concert costs £20. A free William Kennedy Lecture, The Allistrum Suite of Music, will take place at 5pm.
Sunday finale
The closing day begins with a 11am pipe maintenance workshop led by Éamonn Curran. Lectures and concerts continue at Aonach Mhacha, including Chanters – in Harmony or in Conflict at 12.30pm and an uilleann pipes concert at 2pm, priced at £15.
A 3pm session is planned at The Hole in the Wall Bar before the festival concludes with The Scattering Session at The Charlemont Arms Hotel at 7pm. The official listing contains the full performer details and directs visitors to the latest booking information.