From 2 to 5 July, the Zsolnay Light Festival will once again fill the historic centre of Pécs with light and art as it celebrates its tenth anniversary. The jubilee edition will feature a special international focus: Ireland will be the festival’s guest of honour and focus country. The programme will showcase both contemporary and traditional aspects of Irish culture through large-scale light installations, the work of a renowned Irish artist, a Hungarian-Irish dance performance, and an authentic Irish music concert.
Year after year, the festival organisers seek to reveal new cultural connections through the medium of light art. The Irish focus programme offers both spectacular visual experiences and engaging cultural dialogue, while drawing attention to the surprising links between Irish traditions and Hungarian culture.
Celtic Stories Written in Light Along the Route of Light
The Irish focus programme awaits visitors at two locations along the Route of Light, in the heart of Pécs’ museum quarter, where state-of-the-art projection technology guarantees an unforgettable visual experience.
- Irish Frequency – Atmospheric Projection Mapping (Janus Pannonius Museum Directorate, 5 Káptalan Street) The Fényszórók Visual team creates the visual setting for the Irish Focus venue through an atmospheric projection mapping installation. Built on strong contrasts, geometric forms, and mathematical rhythms, the expressive projection also evokes the mood of Irish landscapes. Rather than telling specific stories, the artwork creates a meditative, dreamlike visual experience through intertwining patterns, structures of light, and abstract symbols.
- Oblivion / Seachmalltacht – A Digital Vision (Zsolnay Museum, 2 Káptalan Street.) Az This remarkable multimedia work by Irish artist Aideen Barry explores themes of memory and cultural survival. Combining Irish harp music with Inuit throat singing, the installation pays tribute to suppressed languages and folklore traditions. Its apocalyptic imagery gradually transforms into a pulsating electronic journey and a celebration of freedom.
A 3D Mapping Tribute to a World-Renowned Hungarian Artist
The festival’s most popular attraction, the Zsolnay Light Art Video Mapping Competition, also features a special Irish connection this year. As part of the Irish focus programme, visitors will be able to see Hommage à Martyn Ferenc, a 3D mapping animation projected onto the façade of the Cathedral.
The acclaimed Hungarian collective Glowing Bulbs created a work that reinterprets the ink drawings and graphic works of Ferenc Martyn, the internationally recognised abstract artist from Pécs, whose life and career were closely connected to Ireland. The original artworks are elevated into a new dimension: distinctive lines evolve into three-dimensional forms, associative spaces, and new layers of meaning. Both a tribute and a reinterpretation, the animation invites viewers on a visual journey through Martyn’s unique abstract universe.
When Riverdance meets Hungarian Folk Dance traditions
One of the most spectacular outdoor events of the Irish Focus programme will be Dance of Danu, presented on Széchenyi Square on the evening of 3 July.
This unique, one-off performance brings together the Erin Irish Dance Company and the youth ensemble of the Hungarian Bihari János Dance Company. The choreography, born from the encounter between Irish step dancing and Hungarian folk dance, creates a remarkable cultural bridge between the two countries.
The performance takes its name from Danu, the ancient Celtic river goddess, whose name is believed to have survived in the Latin name of the Danube, Danubius. The production simultaneously evokes the identity connected to Hungary’s great river and the world-renowned traditions of Irish dance.
The Sound of Galway in the Heart of Pécs
Fans of Irish musical traditions will also find plenty to enjoy. On the evening of 3 July, the Kellegher Brothers duo from Galway will perform in Káptalan Street.
Seán and Josh Kellegher bring the rich musical heritage of western Ireland to life through fiddle and guitar. Adding a special dimension to the concert, the two Irish musicians will be joined by Hungarian performers, guitarist Róbert Császár and violinist Zsombor Horváth, both of whom have been dedicated ambassadors of Irish folk music in Hungary for decades.
Visitors to Káptalan Street can also explore an Irish gastronomic courtyard, where they will have the opportunity to sample characteristic food and drink specialties from the Emerald Isle.
The Irish Focus programme is implemented with the support of the Embassy of Ireland and Pannonia Bio
