Provocative" and "outlandishly colourful" are not words you would normally associate with the Kilkenny Arts Festival.
The 10-day event, which began last night, has become more vibrant and imaginative, having reinvented itself in recent years. Actress and author Pauline McLynn, who opened the event, described the festival as the best. "Where else would you find billboards that are art?" she asked, referring to the exhibition by Austrian-born artist Gottfried Helnwein.
His canvasses are hanging from a number of building around the city but not from City Hall, after the corporation failed to agree if they were appropriate for a public building.
At the opening, street performers gave an animated performance of Herbert's Dream. Over 300 performers will bring the music, theatre, literature, art, and children's events to the city.