What's On

MDL’s 28th Return to London Town Festival brings four days of traditional Irish music, song and dance to Cricklewood and Kilburn this October, with concerts, céilís, workshops, sessions, album launches, film screenings and more.

“We are always proud of the impressive mix of artists and the busy and varied programme that we bring together,” says Festival Director Karen Ryan.

Most Peculiar Dreams is an original Irish musical currently in development.

Set in 1950s New York, the musical explores how chance encounters and small interventions can influence a person’s fate. Written and composed by Fergus Foran, it is a heartfelt story of ambition, love, family, friendship and finding a way through loss.

Since its first workshops, the musical has progressed through a 2022 workshop tour, full showcase productions at The Helix in 2023 and 2024, and the recording and release of its original cast album.

Storytime present Scéalaíochta: Storytelling for Samhain inspired by the Irish tradition hosted by Luke Macpherson and Johnjoe Irwin.

Storytime is a night for story-tellers, writers, poets, musicians and all manner of lovely folk to share their stories.

We are London's storytelling collective and are excited to host Scéalaíochta Volume #2 at Battersea Arts Centre.

This will be a night of storytelling for Samhain inspired by the Irish Storytelling Tradition.

The night will be hosted by collective members Johnjoe Irwin and Luke Macpherson.

There will be stories on the theme of Samhain from Storytime Collective Readers & Open Mic. If you want to tell a story, throw your name into the hat.

Open Mic

The open mic will run through the night with names pulled from the hat as always.

You will have 8 minutes if your name is pulled out.

Evening Screening and Acoustic Music Night

19:00 - Free

‘Tommie Potts: The Fireman Fiddler of The Coombe' is a musical character study on the life and work of Tommie Potts (1912-1988); Ireland’s most visionary traditional fiddler and a fire fighter with the Dublin Fire Brigade.

Originally from Belfast, Reece now lives in London, performing at top comedy clubs during the week while touring internationally on weekends. Over the last two years, he has brought his comedy to audiences in more than 30 countries.

Following a sell-out 2024 tour, Cork comedian Andrew Ryan returns with his brand-new show, Everything Is Fine, Until It’s Not! Newly married, confident and seemingly delighted with life, Andrew reveals the chaos beneath the surface through hilarious stories of pet ownership, poor decisions, misreading the room and his ongoing frustration with the world. As heard on Q Radio and seen on RTÉ, BBC and Comedy Central.

Experience the extraordinary voice of Radie Peat, celebrated Irish folk singer and member of Lankum and ØXN, live at London's iconic Union Chapel. Renowned for her powerful contralto voice and haunting interpretations of traditional Irish music, Radie brings emotional depth, dark storytelling and a distinctive contemporary edge to Irish folk. An unforgettable evening with one of Ireland's most compelling vocalists.

Join Irish Creatives in London for an evening of music, pints & craic with their monthly networking night of Irish Creative's in London.

Chasing Abbey are an award-winning trio from Ireland known for their electrifying fusion of electronic production and Celtic influences. Formed after meeting in school, the band have earned multiple platinum singles and built a global reputation for filling venues with their high-energy, unforgettable live performances.

Join The Irish Dolls London at the stunning Marlin Hotel in Waterloo for an evening dedicated to celebrating community, creating real connections, and highlighting some incredible Irish-owned businesses in London.

What to expect:
🥂 Welcome Drink: A complimentary drink on arrival to kick off the night from 7.00-7.30pm
🎙️ Business Introductions: Hear directly from Karen Muldowney - Founder of The Dynamic Spud & Emma Moran - Founder of Emerald Eats

✨ Community & Connection: Catch up with familiar faces and make new friends in a warm, welcoming space.

Whether you're new to London or have been here for years, this is the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded women, build lasting friendships, and expand your professional network.

Named after the ancient Celtic harvest festival honouring the god Lugh, Lúnasa was formed in 1997 by musicians from some of the finest Irish bands of the previous decade. Described early on by Folk Roots magazine as an “Irish music dream team”, they have gone on to perform more than 3,000 concerts across 36 countries, earning multiple awards and helping to redefine the possibilities of Irish traditional instrumental music.

Damien Dempsey is one of Ireland’s most celebrated singer-songwriters, renowned for his powerful voice, heartfelt lyrics and unforgettable live performances. Since his 2000 debut, he has released chart-topping albums, sold out venues worldwide and built a devoted following. His acclaimed 2024 double album Hold Your Joy reaffirmed his status as a modern Irish music icon.

Dave Lofts brings raw, anthemic storytelling and indie-folk soul, drawing comparisons to a young Van Morrison and Paolo Nutini. A former member of the Irish Defence Forces, Dave has sold out 25 consecutive Irish headline shows and his debut UK tour, including London. With 500k+ monthly Spotify listeners, he’s shared stages with Dermot Kennedy, Gavin James, Picture This and Kingfishr, and performed at Electric Picnic and All Together Now.

Join award-winning Irish filmmaker Maeve Murphy for the UK premiere of The Geography of Violence at the Irish Cultural Centre, London. This acclaimed trilogy of short films explores gender-based violence and its devastating impact. The free screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A featuring Maeve Murphy and actor Kellie Shirley, exploring domestic violence, Jennie’s Law and the campaign for a UK register of domestic abuse offenders

RÓIS, aka Rose Connolly, is a Fermanagh-born, Dublin-based composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who weaves traditional Irish songs, the Irish language, and textural elements into compelling compositions of ancestral electronic music.

Her second album, MO LÉAN, originally released in 2024, was awarded Album of the Year at the Northern Ireland Music Prize and shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize, while “CAOINE” was named Best Original Folk Track at the 2025 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, where RÓIS also won Best Emerging Artist.

Drawing from Irish folk traditions, pagan rituals, and the history of caoineadh (keening), MO LÉAN recontextualizes death and mourning through her unique approach to melody and production and electrifying vocal performances.

RÓIS recently signed to Domino, who will release a fully remastered version of MO LÉAN globally on November 20th, featuring a new track, “PORT NA H-EALA,” and she’ll be performing at London’s ICA in November before heading to New York for her first-ever US live date in December.

Alt-pop four-piece from Athy, Ireland who originally began as a duo featuring Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford, later joined by Owen Cardiff and Cliff Deane. Their self-titled debut album in 2017 was certified as triple platinum in Ireland and held the number one spot in the Irish Album Chart for four weeks

Experience the London premiere of A Quiet Love, an award-winning Irish documentary directed by Garry Keane. Follow three Deaf couples through extraordinary stories of forbidden romance, LGBTQ+ parenthood and life-changing decisions. A moving celebration of love, resilience and relationships, produced by a Deaf and hearing team. Join the screening at the Irish Cultural Centre, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

The annual Irish Post Awards are one of the most prestigious celebrations of Irish achievement in Britain. Held in London, the gala evening brings together leading figures from business, sport, entertainment, culture and public life to honour individuals and organisations making an outstanding contribution to Ireland and the global Irish community.

Experience Conor McLain live on his international 'Better Plans' Tour.

Fresh from a sold-out 2025 UK and European tour, Conor McLain brings his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Something Starting’ and newest singles to ‘Colours Hoxton’ in London for one unforgettable night.

With multiple BBC Radio features and opening performances for major industry names such as James Arthur and Gavin James, Conor has built a reputation for shows that are raw, intimate, and powerful.

Blending heartfelt Pop with Acoustic Folk, he and his band create moments you'll be talking about for years.

The third biennial celebration of Irish writers and writing returns to the British Library for a packed weekend of conversations.

Saturday’s programme includes Anne Enright, Ailbhe Malone, Alex Clark, Barry Pierce, Brian Dillon, Deb Grant, Djamel White, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Frank Shovlin, Jessica Traynor, Laura Hackett, Louise Kennedy, Martin Doyle, Martina Evans, Nikita Gill, Patrick Freyne, Peter Curran Rosamund Taylor, Sara Baume, Séamas O'Reilly, Sinéad Gleeson, Sinéad Morrissey, Tim MacGabhann, Wendy Erskine and William Keohane as well as two bilingual Irish-English sessions presented by Conradh na Gaeilge.

Sunday’s lineup features Andrea Mara, Caoilinn Hughes, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Eoin MacNamee, Jan Carson, Jessica Traynor, Keith Ridgway, Lisa Dwan, Liz Nugent, Molly Hennigan, Niall Williams, Sara Baume, Sam Blake, Sinéad Gleeson and Wendy Erskine, as well as an evening comedy writers special, and a Scenes and Monologues session from the Irish Creative Collective.

Please see below for the latest programme.

Single day or all weekend in-person tickets are available, as well as all-weekend online passes that will give you all the Pigott Theatre sessions live and for the next two weeks on catch up.

To book a full Weekend pass please add Saturday and Sunday tickets to your basket, and a two-day discount will be applied.

Only have time to attend one session? There are some tickets avaialable for single sessions, these are listed below and linked to from the full programme.

The Irish Writers’ Weekend opens on Friday 27 November with Maggie O’Farrell in conversation with Martin Doyle for which online tickets still available. Separate booking required.

Book stall from Phlox Books and signings throughout the weekend.

Supported by Culture Ireland.

As we gather to celebrate the Christmas season, this event is more than just a social occasion. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with friends, make new ones, and show your support for icap’s ongoing mission to provide culturally sensitive counselling and psychotherapy services to the Irish community in the UK. Every ticket purchased helps ICAP to continue offering vital support to those in need.

This event is kindly sponsored by Green & Fortune and John Nugent, icap hospitality ambassador.

Join Irish Heritage for the annual Christmas by Candlelight at St. George's Church. Featuring Irish Heritage bursary winners and the Irish Heritage choir. This is always their most popular event of the year so book early to guarantee your seats! Tickets include a programme, wine and mince pie reception.

Get ready for a riotous night with Mr. Irish Bastard, one of the world’s leading Celtic punk bands. Formed in Germany, the band combines raucous Irish folk, infectious punk energy and outrageous humour. Having shared stages with The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, they bring nearly 20 years of anthems and unforgettable live performances to the stage. Expect banjos, guitars, singalong choruses and pure mayhem as they tour their seventh album, Battle Songs of the Damned.

Details will be announced over the next few months

Irish comedian Emma Doran brings her smash-hit stand-up show "Emmaculate" to the London Palladium. The show, which covers topics like blended family life and womanhood, marks her largest headline show in London.

Join at the Lodge Cafe by Hyde Park Corner for the fifth annual London St Patrick's Day Run!

Complete a social running 5k lap of the perimiter of the Serpentine in Hyde Park - following the trails closest to the Serpentine, keeping it always on your right - before returning to the Lodge Cafe.

Then follow on to a post run social at a nearby Irish themed bar. The pub is booked!!!

Discover Amble, the Irish folk trio taking the music world by storm. Featuring Robbie Cunningham, Ross McNerney and Oisín McCaffrey, the band blends rich harmonies, heartfelt storytelling and beautiful acoustic melodies. From their breakout hits Mariner Boy and Lonely Island to their chart-topping debut album Reverie, Amble have captivated audiences worldwide with their distinctive contemporary Irish folk sound.