Event of the week
Dublin International Film Festival
From Thursday, February 19th, until Sunday, March 1st, various venues/times, diff.ie
Over 11 days, 83 films, including 17 having their first screenings, will be shown as part of the 2026 edition of Dublin International Film Festival. The opening feature is the world premiere of David Gleeson’s Once Upon a Time in a Cinema, which the festival’s director, Gráinne Humphreys, describes as an Irish counterpart to Cinema Paradiso. Other Irish world premieres include 500 Miles (featuring Bill Nighy and Clare Dunne) and The Three Urns (with Ciarán Hinds). Directorial debuts include the actor James McAvoy’s California Schemin’. Fans of Irish music should bookmark a visit to Haymarket House (Saturday, February 28th, 7pm, €14) for a curated programme of music videos from, among others, CMAT, Sprints, Morgana, Amble and Curtisy. The festival closes with the gala world premiere of Power Ballad, the Irish director John Carney’s latest feature, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, both of whom will be in attendance.
Gigs
Deftones
Monday, February 16th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6pm, €94/€79 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Sacramento’s Deftones can thank Madonna for signing to Maverick Records in 1993, but it is the band’s fusion of hard-core punk with experimental forays into (among other areas) shoegaze and trip-hop that has kept them at the forefront of alternative metal. In particular, last year’s album, Private Music, showcased a band that delivered music far removed from formula or self-pastiche. In keeping with Deftones’ diverse outlook, the support acts for this show include the US rapper Denzel Curry and the US post-hard-core band Drug Church. Tickets sold out within hours of going on sale, but there might be a few left for Deftones’ Dublin summer show, at Royal Hospital Kilmainham on August 25th.
Passerim Ensemble: Echoes of the South
Tuesday, February 17th, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, 8pm, €25, paviliontheatre.ie
The Italian-Argentinian singer Annalisa Monticelli leads an accomplished group of musicians featuring some of Ireland’s most distinguished jazz performers (including the saxophonist Michael Buckley, the percussionist Brendan Doherty and the double bassist Derek Whyte) and the Dublin-based Venezuelan pianist Leopoldo Osio. Expect limbs to involuntarily move to the sounds of samba, bossa nova and tango in an expressive homage to South American composers such as Chico Buarque, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Roberto Menescal and Astor Piazzolla.
Borderline 3.0
From Thursday, February 19th, until Saturday, February 21st, Workmans Club and Project Arts Centre, Dublin, various times and prices, borderlinefestival.com
At Borderline’s debut, in 2024, 16 music acts were scheduled to perform. The third edition has more than 40 under starter’s orders, which indicates that championing risk-taking musicians from Ireland and elsewhere is catnip for audiences tiring of the tried and tested. Artists include the Irish acts The Null Club and Brooki. Keep an eye out, also, for the UK acts Greenstar and Man/Woman/Chainsaw, the New Zealand act Molly Payton and the California act DeathbyRomy.
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Dance
Take Off Festival
From Wednesday, February 18th, until Friday, February 20th, Firkin Crane, Cork, various times and prices, dancecorkfirkincrane.ie
Take Off 2026 features two programmes of contemporary dance from Irish and international performers. The former includes the Parsley Collective (Mary Nunan, Isabella Oberländer, Angie Smalis, Rachel Sheil and Salma Ataya), Alex Vostokova, and Mufutau Yusef; international artists include Ekin Tunceli (Turkey/Germany) and Gergo Farkas (Hungary/Sweden), who are from the Europe-based Aerowaves dance hub. The festival also features a round-table discussion on the nomadic predispositions of dancers (Wednesday, February 18th, Maureen’s Bar, Shandon, 6pm, free, booking required) and professional dance classes with Farkas (Thursday, February 19th, 11am) and Tunceli (Friday, February 20th, 11am).
Classical
Kirill Gerstein
Thursday, February 19th, NCH, Dublin, 8pm, €45/€39/€33, nch.ie
From winning the International Bach Competition at the age of 12 to making his major orchestral debut at the age of 21, the Berlin-based Russian-American pianist Kirill Gerstein is regarded as a musician at the top of his profession. While his work covers a broad spectrum, from Baroque suites and media projects to jazz and cabaret, tonight’s concert focuses on his virtuosic skills. The recital includes Liszt (Three Petrarch Sonnets) and Brahms (Scherzo in E-flat minor and Piano Sonata No 3). At a preconcert talk (Kevin Barry Recital Room, 6.45pm) Réamonn Keary, professor of piano of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, will discuss the evening’s repertoire.
Exhibition
Sweat, Sounds & Stories
From Saturday, February 14th, until Saturday, February 28th, Kiosk Project Arts Space, Drogheda, Co Louth, free
Curated by Clíona Murphy, this novel exhibition, subtitled A Love Letter to Old T-shirts, suggests that the garments aren’t just about the fabric or the design; they’re also about music, memory and the people who wear them. Included in the collection of slightly worn threads, each of which has a pithy explanatory text by the owner, are T-shirts by the Irish bands Stiff Little Fingers (1987), Sunbear (1994) and Pet Lamb (1990s), as well as by Killing Joke (1983), Flux of Pink Indians (1988), Mystery Jets (2008) and MC5’s Wayne Kramer (2016).
Still running
Mother Tongues Festival
Friday, February 20th, and Saturday, February 21st, Rua Red and Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin, mothertonguesfestival.com
Coinciding with International Mother Language Day, on Saturday, February 21st, the ninth Mother Tongues Festival presents a linguistically diverse programme of workshops, exhibitions and storytelling. Highlights include Gaeilge, Me agus Spraoi!, a drama workshop through Irish, and Pututu, a child-friendly interactive music performance informed by the traditions of Peru.
Book it this week
- Alanis Morissette, Virgin Media Park, Cork, June 24th, ticketmaster.ie
- Goat, Button Factory, Dublin, August 29th, ticketmaster.ie
- Nish Kumar, Vicar Street, Dublin, September 10th, ticketmaster.ie
- Mary Beard, NCH, Dublin, October 15th, nch.ie
