Momentum building for 58th annual Mary from Dungloe Festival

Excitement is building for the 58th Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival.

The annual festival will take place from July 26 until August 4 with a packed schedule in between.

The judges for this year’s festival are Crona Byrne, chairperson; Barra Best, BBC weatherman; Greg Hughes, Highland Radio presenter; Celine Powell, the very first Mary from Dungloe, 1968 and Katie McMahon, 1995 Mary From Dungloe winner.

For the first time ever, country singer Michael English will play the festival stage on July 26.

The 2025 Mary’s enjoyed a day out to Gaoth Dobhair on Wednesday, where they visited CI Tobar Training Centre, enjoyed an arts and crafts class with Tina Gallagher, followed by a walk through the homegrown gardens. They stopped by a visit to Sarah Lorraine’s new shop and Buitic Eilish.

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Dungloe is about to be buzzing with life once again as McCafferty’s Dungloe gears up for a week of music and celebration during the festival. Running from Friday, July 25 through to Sunday, August 3, the pub will be pulling out all the stops with a packed schedule of live music, top-class entertainment, and DJs every night.

Darren Boot will kick off celebrations on Friday, July 25. Saturday, July 26 promises serious energy with performances from Roxy and The Corner Boys, All Folk’d Up, The Highstool Prophets, and The Whistlin’ Donkeys. Sunday, July 27 is “Country Sunday,” featuring The Kilkennys and Connell McDevitt, setting the tone for the week ahead.

On Monday July 28, McCafferty’s will be broadcasting live with Midwest Radio, alongside performances from Paul Ward and Colin Graham. The midweek session keeps the momentum going as Paddy Gunning and Giggle Groove take over on Tuesday, July 29, followed by Colin Graham and Paddy Gunning again on Wednesday, July 30.

Thursday, July 31 brings a traditional flavour to the festival, with a trad session, The Duck Street Band, Darren Boot, and the Danny Byrne Band all taking to the stage. On Friday, August 1, festivalgoers can look forward to Rían Mac, Brendan Maxwell, and The Mutley Crew.

A Taylor Swift tribute will take place on Saturday, August 2, along with performances from Declan McTaggart, Paddy Gunning, Darren Boot, More Power to Your Elbow, and Rhythm and Sticks. On the final day, Sunday, August 3, the festival closes out with a packed line-up featuring What The Folk, Connell McDevitt, Paddy Gunning, Katelin Tierney, The Irish Brigade, and Eimhear Rebel, all guaranteed to keep the spirit of Mary from Dungloe alive and well.

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From trad and country to rock and pop, the mix of acts brings something for everyone, whether you’re a local or just down for the weekend.