Harvest Festival: Ireland's Country Music Weekend

Festival History and Origins

In contrast to Ireland’s more dominant genres such as pop and rock, country music had never been a major force. Yet the country has a long-standing tradition of folk and “Country and Irish” music styles.

By the mid-2010s, country music was enjoying a surge in popularity across Ireland, and Aiken Promotions – Ireland’s longest-established concert and event promoter – set out to launch the country’s first large-scale country music festival. 

In December 2016, the organisers announced the first (and so far only) Harvest Festival, to be held on the weekend of 26–27 August 2017. Early demand for tickets was so strong that the organisers quickly expanded camping capacity and upgraded on-site facilities, underlining how much appetite there was for a dedicated country weekend.

Unique Two-Venue Concept

Westport House in County Mayo, was a historic estate with landscaped grounds that were adapted for outdoor stages, food stalls, family areas and weekend camping. The second location, St Angelo Airport near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, offered a much larger open-air site with space for multiple stages, extensive camping and glamping areas, campervan facilities and a sizeable food and market village.

Headline artists and supporting acts performed at one venue on Saturday and then moved to the other on Sunday. As a result, audiences at both sites saw the same full line-up.

Westport House, County Mayo

Westport House is a renowned historic estate set in the west of Ireland, just outside the town of Westport in County Mayo. With over 300 years of history and elegant Georgian architecture, the estate is celebrated as one of Ireland’s most beautiful country homes. Its extensive grounds offer a picturesque backdrop for major outdoor music events, including popular festivals, such as the Westport Festival of Music and Food, the Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival, and the Rolling Sun Book Festival.

Facilities include large open green spaces, performance areas, family-friendly amenities, adventure activities, and ample camping—a proven recipe for a successful festival atmosphere in a heritage setting.

St. Angelo Airport, Enniskillen

St Angelo Airport, located at Trory near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, offers a spacious open-air site well suited to large outdoor festivals. Its flat, expansive airfield can be laid out for big crowds, main and secondary stages, and multiple entertainment zones. Normally used as a general aviation airport, it can be reconfigured to include camping and campervan areas, food and bar villages, and temporary facilities such as toilets and showers.

St Angelo is easily accessible from across Northern Ireland as well as nearby border counties, making it a practical choice for music fans from both sides of the border. 

Festival Format and Lineup

Across both locations, the event featured four stages with performances by 40 country music artists throughout the weekend. The festival’s dynamic schedule combined:

• Major headline sets on the main stage.
• Secondary stage acts with rising stars and established favorites.
• Continuous entertainment each day from the early afternoon until late evening.

The lineup featured major American country stars, UK country acts, and homegrown Irish performers. Headliners included international superstar Miranda Lambert and Irish sensation Nathan Carter, supported by a diverse roster featuring American acts like Kip Moore, Dan + Shay, and Maddie & Tae, UK artists such as Ward Thomas, and Irish talent including Cliona Hagan, Hurricane Highway, and Jake Carter. This mix appealed to the broad country music audience across Ireland and the UK, featuring both established names like country legend Charley Pride and emerging artists such as Catherine McGrath and Courtney Marie Andrews. 

Festival Features

Beyond the music, Harvest offered a wide range of facilities in the Irish festival tradition. It included four distinct performance stages with varied programming, a Food Village with diverse food vendors and cuisines, full bar facilities including a dedicated whiskey bar, funfair attractions and rides, a children’s area that made the event genuinely family-friendly, and country dancing sessions scheduled throughout the weekend.

In terms of accommodation, the festival provided general camping areas for budget-minded attendees, family camping zones with additional facilities, campervan and motorhome sites with hookups, and glamping packages for visitors who preferred a more comfortable stay.

Ticketing

Harvest Festival tickets were sold through Ticketmaster Ireland and selected retail outlets, with additional sales available at the venue gates. The festival provided weekend passes for attendees planning to visit both days and single-day tickets for those attending one venue only. Each location operated separate ticketing, allowing visitors to choose either Westport or Enniskillen. Attendance at the Enniskillen site was estimated at around 15,000 over the weekend.

Country Music in Ireland Context

Ireland has a long tradition of country music, including the distinctive "Country and Irish" style that blends American country elements with Irish folk influences. The genre has maintained a strong following, especially in rural Ireland and Northern Ireland, with artists such as Big Tom and Daniel O’Donnell becoming widely recognised figures. Before Harvest, Ireland did not host a large outdoor country music festival, despite the genre’s established popularity. And Harvest 2017 was announced as the first event of this scale to focus specifically on country music in an outdoor festival format.