Esker Festival Orchestral Concerts at St Nicholas' Collegiate Church

What to Expect

The Esker Festival brings two orchestral concerts into St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in August 2026. The first, Simple Gifts, is on Tuesday 18 August from 8pm to 9:30pm. The second, Rustic Chivalry, follows on Saturday 22 August at the same time. Tickets are €30 for each concert and both are listed on the church’s own events page.

St Nicholas’ is the largest medieval parish church still in continuous use in Ireland, founded in 1320 and standing on Lombard Street in the middle of Galway’s old town. It is a working Church of Ireland parish church rather than a dedicated concert venue, which is exactly why musicians want it: bare stone, a high timber roof and no soft furnishing to swallow the sound. Seating is on the church’s own pews and chairs, so it is worth arriving early if you want a clear sightline down the nave. The two Esker concerts sit inside a busy August at St Nicholas’, which also runs a run of traditional craft workshops in the same week and a free lunchtime concert with ConTempo on 1 September.

Good to Know

• Simple Gifts: Tuesday 18 August 2026, 8pm to 9:30pm.
• Rustic Chivalry: Saturday 22 August 2026, 8pm to 9:30pm.
• Price: €30 per concert.
• Venue: St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Lombard Street, Galway, H91 PY20.
• Booking and full details are on the church events page at stnicholas.ie/events.
• The church is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6:30pm and Sunday 1pm to 6:30pm if you want to see it in daylight first.
• Contact: 089 489 8084 or info@stnicholas.ie.

Getting There

St Nicholas’ is on Lombard Street, just off Shop Street in the pedestrianised medieval core, a five minute walk from Eyre Square and two minutes from the Saturday market that runs along the church wall. There is no parking at the church itself; use the multi-storey car parks on the edge of the centre and walk in. Ceannt Station and the Eyre Square bus stops are both close by. Drivers reach the city on the M6 and N6 from Dublin, the N17 from Tuam, the N18 from Ennis and the N59 from Clifden, then park outside the pedestrian zone.