Crowds expected to flock to the Folly Festival in Laois this weekend

THE stages are going up, the acts are busy putting their sets together and everything is just about in place for the Folly Festival in Cullohill this coming Friday and Saturday 4 and 5 July.

Organiser of the Folly Festival John Scanlan: "This weekend promises to prove very special. Not only are we celebrating the 600th anniversary of the iconic Cullohill Castle, we have an incredible line up to suit all musical tastes.” 

The latest acts to be added to the top drawer line up has just been announced - Down The Line and Nív who will now join The Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow, Lisa McHugh, Clodagh Lawlor and Cliona McDonald on Friday night and Chasing Abbey, Ruaile Buaile, Barry Deegan, Aislinn Townsend and Cullohill Comhaltas on Saturday.

In addition to the musical lineup there is numerous alternative activities for everyone of all ages from food stalls and demos, to children’s activities and much more.” 

Such is the huge popularity of the festival, the organisers have an extensive car park and are asking all festival goers to avail of it so as to avoid congestion in the village.

Saturday morning starts with the challenging Cullohill Mountain Walk introduced by Doireann Ní Ghlacáin of Tracks and Trails RTÉ and MC of the Folly Festival 2025, beginning at the Castle with breathing taking views from the mountain, returning back to The Folly Festival for a well-earned ‘Taste of Laois’ breakfast and a morning cookery demonstration.

A foraging walk with a lighter stroll will take place later in the afternoon, on a country lane with renowned forager, chef and educator Wild Food Mary along the nature trail in Cullohill Village.

Enjoy the ‘Taste of Laois’ at the many Artisan Food and Craft Stalls celebrating the best food and products the county has to offer with award winning local delicacies and unforgettable food experiences in the castle grounds, including the Merry Mill organic oats, Omimos sauces, Sips by Tom (syrups for cocktails and mocktails), Sunshine juices and much, much more.

Learn how to cook the perfect sausage roll – it’s not as easy as it looks! - with demos from The Cupcake Bloke and founder of The Bakery by The Cupcake Bloke in Rialto Graham Herterich, author of two books Bake and Cook. Graham will be signing copies of his book at the Festival.

Rory O’Connell of Ballymaloe makes a nostalgic return to Cullohill for his cookery demo aptly titled ‘Coming Home’ at The Folly. Both Darina Allen and Rory spent their early years in Cullohill, along with their siblings as their mother Elizabeth ran O’Connell’s Sportsman’s Inn after the death of her husband. And keeping it in the family, two young teenage chefs will also take to the main cookery demo stage after Rory. Scarlett and Tamsin Allen, both grandchildren of Myrtle Allen, will demo the art of jam and butter making.

Later in the afternoon a very special talk and walk celebrating the 600-year anniversary of Cullohill Castle built by Mac Giolla Phádraig of Upper Ossery, where you can learn about the fascinating history and stories of the historic castle from Professor Pádraig Ó Macháin. The title of the talk will be “Aspects of the early history of Cullahill”.

There is also Painting at the Folly where you can watch and learn as artist Marie Moylan paints Cullohill Castle. Marie is a native of Durrow and teaches at Durrow Art Club. She is no stranger to outdoor painting having worked in many Street Art Projects and her fantastic work is seen in murals in Durrow, Abbeyleix and Portlaoise.

Central to The Folly is the community. In particular the many families and their children living in the environs. A host of family activities and children’s entertainment kicks off on Saturday from 11am in Nancy’s Yard. There will be face-painting, rides on tractors, beat the goalie, sandpit, hang tough, garden games, painting board, to magician shows and live performances by Cullohill Comhaltas.

Festival ticket holders have free admission to daytime events, non-festival ticket holders have a €5 admission fee to daytime events.

There is also a dog show, vintage car show, local art exhibition and the Great Folly Bake Off in the Village.

The Folly Festival is Ireland’s first ever gender-balanced festival, which in 2018 first addressed the discrepancy within the entertainment industry, when male artists outnumbered female artists 5:1, and the ratio was the same throughout the industry’s engineering and production roles. In selecting our performers, the festival actively promotes gender balance, selecting the lineup accordingly, with an equal number of male and female acts.

Tickets are on sale at https://thefolly.ie/tickets/, with the option of individual day tickets or a full weekend ticket for €60. Or in person at Bergin’s Shop (Cullohill), Dalton’s (Cullohill), and Deegan’s (Urlingford). Up to two Under-14s go FREE with every ticket-holding adult.

The Folly Festival is brought to you by Cullohill Community Council with the support of Electric Picnic, Laois Partnership Company and Laois County Council.