Explore the Misleór in you at the Festival of Nomadic Cultures 2023

Put your wandering feet to rest for three days as singing, storytelling and entertainment encapsulates Galway for the 2023 Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures. Help celebrate the people around the world who are a part of the Nomadic peoples, and let their kindred inner spirits light the explorer fire in your heart to travel and create your own wanderer stories.

Misleór, which means ‘wanderer’ in the Irish Traveller language Cant, celebrates and connects nomadic peoples from around the world. Started in 2019, the Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures is a unique collaboration between local artists and community activists working at local, regional, national and international levels.

This years Misleór Festival kicks off on September 28th through to the 1st of October. The first event in the Mick Lally Theatre is called ‘On the Road’, which is the opening ceremony to welcome guest artists and to light the fire. The next three days are covered in events from the vibrant programme including; music, film, poetry, talks, and visual art from the Traveller, Roma, Sami, Mongolian, Australian Aboriginal and Romany Gypsy communities.

Nora Corcoran, the Co-artistic Director for Misleór 2023, said “We recognise in nomadic peoples from around the world, a kindred inner spirit which unites our communities; a fire in the belly that is fanned by activism, creativity and coming together. The campfire is a meeting point for Travellers. Creativity, singing, storytelling and entertainment would always be found by those gathered round the open fire, under the blanket of a starry night. We look forward to meeting you around the fire at Misleór this year, to share our stories and get to know one another.”

Highlights of the 2023 festival programme include Chant Yil Lull, a song circle with Australian Aboriginal artist Jessie Lloyd and women from the local Traveller community; Misleór Conversations, public panel discussions featuring guest artists, activists and leaders from nomadic communities around the world; Nomadic Shorts, a special programme of short films exploring identity, resilience and diversity with nomadic communities; In Conversation, two special talks with award-winning actor and filmmaker John Connors and singer and storyteller Kitty Cassidy; Reimagining Life on the Road, a family-friendly traditional Traveller camp featuring interactive displays and workshops; and Misleór in Song, a celebration of nomadic cultures around the world through music, song, spoken word and dance.

All of the events are free unless otherwise noted on the Misleór website, which you can visit here.You can also find more in-depth descriptions of the upcoming programme and the Nomadic artists involved.