ANAM ARTS & LITERATURE FESTIVAL
ABOUT ANAM
ABOUT ANAM
The festival takes place over three days in July, from the 11th to the 13th, across various venues in Tralee. Events are hosted in both traditional and unconventional spaces, aiming to bring art to every corner of the town.
SINCE 2024
The Anam Arts Festival is an Arts and Cultural festival, launched in 2024 that celebrates the town’s creative spirit. It features a diverse lineup of writers, poets, playwrights, spoken word artists, and musicians, offering a platform to both emerging local talent and established Irish artists.
Anam Arts Festival is for anyone, locals and visitors alike who want to experience Tralee’s cultural spirit in a fresh and meaningful way.
SINCE 2024
Attendees can expect a rich program that includes: Literary readings, musical performances, and theatrical productions.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
What makes it truly unique is its commitment to revitalising overlooked venues across Tralee transforming them into vibrant stages for Irish talent, and bringing the arts into the heart of the community.
Tea at the Tannery
This year’s festival has one of Ireland’s most revered and enduring performers, Mary Coughlan, who is celebrating her 40th year in music with the release of her album Repeat, Rewind.
MARY COUGHLAN
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
WHY ANAM?
Other highlights include “Tea at the Tannery,” an intimate reading by author Ellen Cranitch, accompanied by her namesake musician cousin, in one of Rock Street’s hidden gems.
Anam festival exists to honour hidden spaces, celebrate Irish talent, and make our town a place where art lives and breathes.
We champion local voices, reimagine forgotten spaces, and spotlight the rich artistic spirit of Kerry.
PURPOSE /
STATEMENT /
MISSION /
To celebrate the power of storytelling, performance and creativity - bringing people together through a shared love of the arts./
Anam transforms Tralee into a vibrant stage for creative exchange, welcoming talent across music, literature, and performance.
Launched in 2024, the festival celebrates live music, literature, spoken word, and performance through intimate, unforgettable events in unexpected corners of the town. From soulful gigs to family-friendly theatre, Anam is a space for discovery, connection, and creativity.
Anam Arts Festival was born from a deep desire to give Tralee a cultural heartbeat that reflects the soul of its people and places. We saw a town crying out for a platform to showcase the incredible abundance of talent rooted in Kerry - voices, stories, and songs that deserve to be seen and heard. Anam is about more than events; it’s about connection, between artists and audiences, locals and visitors, past and present. We want people to leave feeling uplifted, inspired, and proud of Tralee, seeing it not just as a stop on the map, but as a vibrant, creative destination.
Heard at Last Year’s Festival
Stories, reactions, and reflections from last year’s attendees.
Sarah Ní Chonghaile, Westport
That Sunday reading in Madden’s courtyard with Colm Keegan and Liz Quirke was something else. The sun was shining, the crowd was quiet, and those two just lit the place up. Raw, honest, and at times laugh-out-loud funny,
I could’ve listened to them all day. It was one of those perfect festival moments you wish you could bottle."
Raw, honest, laugh-out-loud funny
Honest, haunting, and full of heart
Alan J., Dublin
Pa Sheehy’s performance was pure gold. Honest, haunting, and full of heart. It wasn’t just a gig—it was a shared experience between him and the crowd. I caught myself tearing up more than once, and judging by the faces around me, I wasn’t the only one."
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