Celebrating 37 years of Boyle Arts Festival, the magnificent setting of King House is yet again the centrepiece for the Main Exhibition.
“As a gallerist it is such an honour to curate the 2026 exhibition ‘Visual Thread.’ The exhibition showcases 160 artists, with a concentration on painting, sculpture, drawing and photography.
It celebrates the richness and diversity of Irish art that has characterised the exhibition annually since 1989. The enduring legacy and scale of the exhibition means that artists have been selected from across the Island of Ireland, from West Cork to the Antrim Coast. ‘Visual Thread’ demonstrates the quality and integrity of the visual arts in Ireland.”
Paul McKenna, Curator
Barry Feely Sculptor Award
This year the Feely family and Feelystone are proud to partner with Boyle Arts Festival to establish the Barry Feely Sculptor Award, honoring Barry’s life, legacy and enduring contribution to the arts. The Barry Feely Sculptor Award will celebrate and support the work of an emerging to mid-career sculptor, working in any medium, whose work is selected for exhibition in the Main Exhibition.
Annual Fergus Ahern Award
2026 will see the presentation of the 7th Annual Fergus Ahern Award. Fergus worked tirelessly to place the Boyle Arts Festival on a national platform, earning it a place as one of Ireland’s most anticipated and prestigious summer celebrations of the arts.
This year’s exhibiting artists
Brian Ballard, John Behan, Katherine Boucher Beug, Diarmuid Breen, Anna Campbell, Tom Climent, Malachy Costello, Sian Costello, Garrett Cormican, Julie Cusack, Colin Davidson, Orla de Brí, John Doherty, Joe Dunne, Sinead Fagan, Martin Finnin, Martin Gale, Matthew Gammon, Rowan Gillespie, Graham Gingles, Guggi, Pat Harris, Carol Hodder, Selma Makela, Manar Mervat Al Shouha, Tim Millen, Olivia Musgrave, Daniel Nelis, Stephen Lawlor, Miseon Lee, Susan Mannion, Michael McGuinness, Hughie O’Donoghue, Conor O’Connell, Will O’Kane, Peter Pearson, Cilla Patton, Michael Quane, Ann Quinn, Barbara Rae, Yasmin Robinson, Mark Rode, Frances Ryan, Anthony Scott, Neil Shawcross, Mark Shields, John Shinnors, Maria Simonds-Gooding, Donal Teskey, Lorcan Walshe…
The Main Exhibition at Boyle Arts Festival is a curated programme by invitation only for professional visual artists. If you are an artist considering exhibiting at Boyle Arts Festival, please click for full Terms & Conditions.
