Events of the weekHas Ireland ever seen a 12-day spell with so many outdoor and arena shows by big-name female acts? Lily Allen, Florence Welch, Hayley Williams and Wet Leg, the band founded by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, arrive from next weekend. Before that come shows by four other women at the top of their game. Such is her popularity that the Grammy winning London singer Olivia Dean (Saturday, June 20th, and Sunday, June 21st, Marlay Park, Dublin, 5pm, €66.10, ticketmaster.ie) had her outdoor shows moved from Fairview Park to satisfy demand. Katy Perry (Wednesday, June 24th, Malahide Castle, Co Dublin, 5pm, €79.90/€69.90, ticketmaster.ie) brings her glam-pop songs and encore fireworks, while Canada’s Alanis Morissette (Wednesday, June 24th, Virgin Media Park, Cork, 5pm, €99.90/€89.90, ticketmaster.ie) digs into her notable back catalogue for still-relevant songs about female empowerment. The Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn (Wednesday, June 24th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €159.90/€94.90/€74.35, ticketmaster.ie) rounds out the week with a show focused on her widely praised 2026 album, Sexistential.GigsZach BryanSaturday, June 20th, and Sunday, June 21st, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, 5pm, €192.75/€107.75, ticketmaster.ie; Tuesday, June 23rd/Wednesday, June 24th, Boucher Road Playing Fields, Belfast, 5pm, £141/£116, ticketmaster.ieZach Bryan. Photograph: Alan Betson After last year’s three sold-out shows at Phoenix Park in Dublin, the US country singer Zach Bryan ventures beyond the capital, and lucky you if you can find a ticket at this point. The former US navy aviation ordnanceman channels a convincing Americana and Springsteenesque folk that has struck a serious chord with Irish audiences.Lewis CapaldiTuesday, June 23rd, and Wednesday, June 24th, Marlay Park, Dublin, 4pm, €91.10/€81.10 (sold out); Friday, June 26th, Thomond Park, Limerick, 4pm, €91.10/€81.10 (sold out)Lewis Capaldi Following a return to performing with a surprise set at last year’s Glastonbury Festival, Lewis Capaldi is back with a bang with these three sold-out shows, which form part of the Scottish singer’s UK and European arena tour. Capaldi is a naturally engaging performer with an abundance of slow-building heartbreak songs, the latest of which can be heard on his EP Survive, so prepare for mirth and moist eyes in equal measure. As if you need any more persuading, the main support for the shows is CMAT.The CureFriday, June 26th, Marlay Park, Dublin, 4pm, €91.25/€81.25 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie Robert Smith of The Cure. Photograph: Charlie Gates/The New York Times Is it really 50 years since a teenage Robert Smith formed The Cure? Yes, it is, and we can be thankful that Smith, the band’s sole remaining founding member, is still around to perform some of the best postpunk pop songs to a loyal audience that has been swelled by hordes of teenagers since Olivia Rodrigo namechecked Smith as a major influence. Support acts include The Twilight Sad, Just Mustard, and Stella and the Dreaming. Also, Sunday, June 28th, Ormeau Park, Belfast, 6pm, £86/£76 (sold out), ticketmaster.iePride festivalMother Pride Block Party 2026Friday, June 26th, and Saturday, June 27th, Collins Barracks, Dublin, 4pm, €50, ticketmaster.ieEmmy Shigeta Collins Barracks’ grey exterior will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of colour with a line-up of live music over two days that includes Scissor Sisters, Sofi Tukker, Cakes da Killer, Elaine Mai, Sing Along Social and Vaticanjail. Complementing the live music will be DJ sets from Peaches, Tara Kumar, Panti Bliss, Ruth Kavanagh and Rocky T Delgado. The bespoke Barefoot on the Lawn stage will feature DJ sets from Emmy Shigeta, Mars Montana, Shrem, Naomi Diamond, and Pixie Woo.Visual artPhil CollinsFrom Saturday, June 20th, until Saturday, August 22nd, Model, Sligo, themodel.ieThe Berlin-based English visual artist Phil Collins, a former Turner Prize nominee, is best known for long-form video works such as They Shoot Horses (a pop/rock/disco dance marathon in Ramallah), from 2004, and The World Won’t Listen (teenagers in Colombia, Indonesia and Turkey performing karaoke versions of songs by The Smiths), from the following year. This rare presentation of Collins’s work features three video installations, Ceremony, Home to You and An Interval, as well as a screening of They Shoot Horses (Saturday, July 4th, augmented by a public interview with the artist, hosted by the critic Declan Long).Arts festivalHinterland Festival of Literature and ArtsFrom Thursday, June 25th, until Sunday, June 28th, Kells, Co Meath, various venues/times/prices, hinterland.ieKirsty Wark Based in the spiritual home of the Book of Kells, this multidisciplinary festival, a fixture on the arts calendar for a decade, has never been short of smart programming. This year’s highlights include Where Angels Listen: A Response to Francis Ledwidge, with Dermot Bolger, Deirdre Kinahan and Steve Wickham (Friday, June 26th, Courthouse, 7pm, €15), Mary Coughlan in concert (Saturday, June 27th, Church of Ireland, 9pm, €25) and Kirsty Wark in conversation (Sunday, June 28th, Headfort Arms Hotel, 2pm, €15). ClassicalWest Cork Chamber Music FestivalFrom Friday, June 26th, until Sunday, July 5th, Bantry, Co Cork, various venues/times/prices, westcorkmusic.ieWest Cork Chamber Music Festival 2026: Ukrainian violinist Diana Tishchenko. Photograph: Laura Stevens The 31st West Cork Chamber Music Festival opens with Homage to Ukraine, the pianist Anna Fedorova and violinist Diana Tishchenko performing works that include Valentin Silvestrov’s Five Pieces. Other highlights include a celebration of the Tatar composer Sofia Gubaidulina (Tuesday, June 30th, St Brendan’s Church, 7.30pm, €38/€26) and an evening of German song performed by Lotte Betts-Dean with the Belgium-based Sonoro Quartet. The festival also includes a series of Talking Music events hosted by Sean Rafferty, former host of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme.Still runningOklahoma!Until Sunday, July 5th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €73.40/€64.40/€53.45, ticketmaster.ieOklahoma!: David James Whelan as Curly McLain and Molly Lynch as Laurey Williams. Photograph: Bord Gáis Energy Theatre This all-Irish version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical follows the success last year of Little Shop of Horrors, the venue’s inaugural in-house production. The musical director is David Hayes, with choreography overseen by CoisCéim Dance Theatre’s David Bolger. David James Whelan and Molly Lynch star. Claire Tighe directs.Book it this weekDrogheda Songwriting Festival 2026, Drogheda, Co Louth, September 26th/27th, eventbrite.ieWexford Festival Opera, October 15th-31st, wexfordopera.comGuinness Cork Jazz Festival, October 22nd-26th, guinnesscorkjazz.comThe Script, 3Arena, Dublin, October 30th/31st, ticketmaster.ie