Queer festival Faoin Tuath is returning to the Common Knowledge Centre in the Burren this May with a gathering focused on community, creativity, and practical skills.
Launched last year, Faoin Tuath was created to offer a space where LGBTQ+ people could connect with nature, learn useful skills, and socialise in an environment that feels safe and affirming. This year’s event will mark Bealtaine Weekend from May 2 to 4.
The full programme for the festival will be announced soon, but attendees can look forward to a weekend filled with hands-on workshops, artistic expression, and community connection. Confirmed performances include acclaimed musicians Ultan O’Brien and Molly Sterling, as well as an opening act Céilí Mór, who is well-known for celebrating creativity through the Irish language.
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The Faoin Tuath festival is part of the Queer Sheds project at Common Knowledge, a pioneering initiative that began in the Burren, inspired by the Men’s Sheds movement. Aiming to combat social isolation among LGBTQ+ people in rural Ireland, the first Queer Shed has opened in Clare, with plans for a national network in progress.
If you’re interested in starting a Queer Shed in your area, applications are open until March 30. An application form can be found here.
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Last year’s Faoin Tuath festival featured a range of engaging activities, including a wild queer workshop exploring the queerness of the natural world through plant identification, wildlife tracking, and ancestral crafting. Another activity entitled “Build a Bat Box” taught festival goers essential carpentry skills to create safe habitats for bats.
Faoin Tuath also offered a deep dive into organic growing in the Common Knowledge gardens and a hands-on session on wild yeasts, fermented sodas and plant medicine, as well as zine making and theatre workshops.
Last year’s festival was a huge success, with past participants commenting, “It was incredibly affirming and healing.” Another added, “I left feeling really optimistic about the future of the queer community in Ireland.”
Follow Queer Sheds on social media for Faoin Tuath’s full programme announcement in the coming days.
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