Celebrating Poetry & Place: Circling the Square Festival Returns To Thurles.

Popular “Circling the Square” Festival Returns To Thurles, Co. Tipperary, With Stellar Line-Up of Poets and Musicians.

Thurles is set to celebrate poetry, music and creativity in style as the fourth annual Circling the Square Festival returns to The Source Arts Centre over the weekend of October 31st to November 2nd, 2025.

Now firmly established as one of the region’s premier arts events, this festival honours the legacy of acclaimed Thurles-born poet Dennis O’Driscoll, drawing together leading voices from Ireland and abroad for a packed programme of performances, readings and workshops.

“Outside new antique pubs, young consultants
— well-toned women, gel-slick men —
drain long-necked bottles of imported beer.
Lip-glossed cigarettes are poised
at coy angles, a black bra strap
slides strategically from a Rocha top”.

Above extract from the poem “The Celtic Tiger” by the late, acclaimed Thurles poet, Dennis O’Driscoll.

This year’s performances promise a vibrant mix of poetry, live music and discussion, with four main headline events across Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night concluding with a guided walk of Thurles, followed by Poetry readings and Open Mic Poetry on Sunday November 2nd.

The festival opens officially on Friday afternoon at 4:00pm with a reading by US former Poet Laureate and Novelist Joseph Bathanti in Bookworm No 1 Parnell Street in Thurles, followed by the first major performances at The Source Arts Centre, Cathedral Street, Thurles from 7:45pm. The evening, introduced by Jimmy Duggan, will feature music by Brendan Collins (Uilleann pipes), Gina Oberoi (Mezzo-Suprano) and Pat O’Callaghan (Saxophone), Hidden Highways, The Ed Dwan Trio and Leslie Dowdall & Hugh Buckley, alongside readings from poets Polina Cosgrave, Sean Lysaght, Moya Cannon, Joseph Bathanti, and Mary O’Donnell.

Same evening will be followed, at 10:30pm, with an Après Festival, featuring a gathering of poets, musicians and a wide audience, in the relaxed setting of “The Monks” historic licenced hostelry, on Mitchel Street, Thurles.

Saturday’s programme, November 1st, begins with a Poetry Workshop at 10:30am in the Community Rooms (above the Library) at The Source, presented by Professor Joseph Bathanti.

This event will be followed in the afternoon at 2:00pm by a panel discussion on the poetry of the late, great Irish poet Seamus Heaney. For this event Rosie Lavin & Bernard O’Donoghue, (latter editors of the newly published definitive edition of Seamus Heaney’s poetry) will join in conversation with Declan O’Driscoll.

Same will be followed by poetry readings from Amy Abdullah Barry, Michael Dooley, Charlotte Buckley, and Laoighseach Ni Choistealbha, accompanied by Classical Flautist Emma Roche from 2:30pm.

The Saturday evening showcase beginning sharp at 7:45pm, promises another standout event, featuring music from Classical Flautist Emma Roche, Hidden Pathways, Leslie Dowdall and Hugh Buckley, and the Ed Dwan Quartet, interwoven with poetry from Eleanor Hooker, Mark Roper, Bernard O’Donoghue, Grace Wilentz and Jane Clarke.

Again the night will round off at 10:30pm with the ever-popular Après Festival in The Monk’s licenced hostelry with a relaxed acoustic music session.

Note: For this event, tickets are available from The Source Arts Centre box office and website.

On the final day Sunday November 2nd at 11:30pm, commencing from the Anner Hotel, a guided heritage and history walk around Thurles will take place led by local historian Jimmy Duggan.

Finally, at 2:30pm, in The Monk’s, a Poetry Reading session, will take place, including an open Mic Session (For the latter those wishing to take part are invited to submit their names in advance). Those already taking part are D’or Seifer, Philip Lynch, John Noonan, Cathy Conlon, Trish Bennett, Linda Tavokali, Susan Miller Demars, Lauren Mc Namara, Cora Peters and Ron Carey.