August 2013 will see the 40th Kilkenny Arts Festival bring an exciting mix of Irish and International music, theatre, dance, craft, visual arts, literature and more to the medieval city located in the South-East of  Ireland.  Ireland’s oldest multi-disciplinary festival  is celebrating an unrivalled legacy which has seen some of the biggest names and most exciting newcomers in the arts from around the world flock to Kilkenny. 

Controversial Irish deputy Richard Boyd Barrett has confirmed that the American-based theatre director Vincent Dowling was his biological father.

The award winning Broadway musical ‘Once’ began a one week run in Dublin’s Gaiety theatre last Friday, as part of the European Premiere of the show.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, "A Christmas Celtic Sojourn" with Brian O’Donovan will be broadcast from Boston’s Cutler Majestic Theatre.

The Abbey Theatre is partnering with National University Ireland, Galway to make the almost two million items in the Abbey’s archives available online. Digitising the theatre posters, prints, programmes, light, set, and costume designs, and audio files will take between three and four years, according to the Abbey Theatre’s website.

The Irish Arts Center (IAC), in New York City, has just announced their jam packed 15-week fall schedule, running from 6th September to 17th December.
 
The US premiere of one of the most lauded plays in recent Irish theatre, a tribute to Bram Stoker on the centenary of his death, a series of talks exploring the links between Irish and African Americans, and the New York City debut of Irish singer Wallis Bird are among the highlights of the Irish Arts Center's fall season.
 
Committed to exploring what it means to be Irish in 2012, the IAC, from its home in Hell's Kitchen (553 West 51st St) presents contemporary and traditional performances in theatre, music, dance and more as well as exhibitions from Ireland and America, and holds all levels of classes in language, dance and music.
 
The 2012 Fall season includes:
 
Theatre:

This week, Galway’s Tony winning Druid Theatre Company will present a mini-retrospective of three of the most accomplished plays of Irish playwright Tom Murphy at Druid Murphy, an exciting festival in his honor that will be staged at Lincoln Center beginning July 5.

The Landmark Productions and Galway Arts Festival production of Enda Walsh’s play, “Misterman” starring Cillian Murphy, won two awards at the Irish Times Theatre Awards on Sunday night.

There’s a special poignancy to Christmas that’s unlike any other time of the year, because even more than New Year’s Eve or Halloween, Christmas awakens ghosts. Long lost boyfriends, the girl that got away, the friend you miss, the mom or dad that passed on and many more besides.

The 'Twilight Saga' trio – who play Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black in the vampire romance franchise – will take part in a prestigious handprint ceremony at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre on November 3.