Every year, the Eigse Carlow Arts Festival assembles a formidable line-up of Irish and international artists and accommodates…

Every year, the Eigse Carlow Arts Festival assembles a formidable line-up of Irish and international artists and accommodates an extraordinary quantity of their work in the surprisingly capacious St Patrick's College. Visit it just once and you can see a half-dozen or more substantial exhibitions.

Scottish-born William Crozier heads the list of this year's featured artists, and his vibrantly coloured, landscape-inspired compositions should help raise the festival temperature. Painters Shani Rhys James, Xiao Fan Ru (right) and Simon R. English plus sculptor Carolyn Mulholland also show their work in depth.

Other notable participants include Carmel Benson, Bridget Flannery, Michael Canning, Clare Langan and Con Kelleher. Visit the new VW showroom in Green Lane and you can also take in an epic-scale display of paintings by Michael Mulcahy, organised by Waterford's enterprising Dyehouse Gallery.

Aidan Dunne

Aidan Dunne

Aidan Dunne is visual arts critic and contributor to The Irish Times