Derek Ryan: Songwriter Show at VISUAL Carlow

What to Expect

Derek Ryan brings his Songwriter Show to the George Bernard Shaw Theatre at VISUAL Carlow on Sunday 8 November. The Songwriter Show is the stripped-back format Ryan tours between his full band dance dates: the songs pulled back to their bones, with the writing and the stories behind the material carrying the night rather than the production. Ryan is a Carlow man from Kilkenny Road stock who has been one of the most consistent names on the Irish country circuit for well over a decade, and he writes for other artists as well as himself, which is the material this show is built to showcase.

The George Bernard Shaw Theatre is a 350-seat auditorium inside VISUAL, Carlow’s contemporary art centre, and it is a seated listening room rather than a dance hall, which suits the format. Tickets are €32 with an 8:00pm start. This is the closing night of a three-show run at the theatre that weekend, following Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote on the Friday and The Piano Man on the Saturday. Booking is through VISUAL’s own box office.

Good to Know

• Sunday 8 November 2026, 8:00pm start.
• Venue: George Bernard Shaw Theatre at VISUAL, Old Dublin Road, Carlow Town.
• Tickets €32.
• Book online through VISUAL’s box office, by phone on 059 917 2400, or in person at the venue.
• Seated show, not a dance. This is the acoustic Songwriter Show format rather than a full band night.
• Wheelchair users and groups over eight should book directly with the box office.
• The VISUAL galleries are free to visit during opening hours if you arrive early.

Getting There

VISUAL sits on the Old Dublin Road within the grounds of Carlow College, about ten minutes on foot from Tullow Street and the centre of Carlow Town. Free on-site parking is available for visitors and is the easiest option on a Sunday evening. Carlow railway station on the Dublin Heuston to Waterford line is roughly a fifteen-minute walk, but Sunday services are thinner than midweek and the last train back to Dublin goes before the show ends, so check times before relying on it.