The rain gods were thankfully only briefly in attendance of this year’s Another Love Story, which again proved to be an absolutely joy of fun, creativity, thought-provoking talks and of course, fantastic music. Set in the beautiful grounds of Killyon Manor, the festival has stages and installations that wind through magical forests and down by a rushing river, with stages tucked in behind trees and in small tents to create different atmospheres and experiences. With plenty of puppies and kids running around, Another Love Story always feels like a warm embrace – even when the temperature gets a little chilly.

Dusseldorf-based piano/electronic duo Grand Brothers headlined on the Further Afield stage, bringing their unique fusion of classical piano with experimental minimalism to create an incredibly atmospheric set imbued with magic and building emotion as the stars shone overhead. Dublin-based band Yard brought their harder, pulsing combination of electro and noise rock to The Front stage, creating an intense, immersive and electrifying energy which left everyone buzzing. Luckily, Treehaus and Shift Yard some great DJs in place to keep the beats coming, with sets by Lolz and Neil Flynn keeping the crowd dancing late into the night.

Brave souls started Saturday morning with a refreshing dip in the river (and lucky ones got a stint in the sauna), and the more flexible attendees tried some acro yoga  while Siobhan Kane from Young Hearts Run Free held a beautiful conversation with artist and designer Stina Sandstrom to ease everyone into a day of appreciating creativity. Though silliness and fun was also embraced, particularly at the Swiftogeddon dance party and Jaume’s Brat Summer.

ALS - 2024 -CELESTE BURDON

Oisin Leech fans were treated to two performances from the singer, on the Further Afield stage and a more intimate performance in Moon River’s folk club. Renditions of ‘October Sun’ and ‘Colour Of The Rain’ were highlights, as well as unique duet with weather forecaster Deirdre Lowe from Met Eireann, whose predictions about brief rain showers thankfully didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits! Multi-talented instrumentalist John Francis Flynn also did two sets, bringing his soulful Irish sounds to both a solo set and smaller performance with Aoife Nessa Francis.

Jape unsurprisingly attracted a huge crowd  to their great set, and hearing hundreds of people sing the lyrics to ‘Floating’ summed up the feel of the festival; we’re all in this together. Dublin-based post-crunk supergroup Really Good Time brought their incomparable,  irrepressible energy to the Saturday night line-up and had everyone in The Front jumping around the tent. Saturday night was filled with chances to dance, and there were a few sprints between stages to get the best of all the acts. Treehaus always has the best DJs, light sets and disco balls, and sets from Claire Beck and Nialler 9 kept the energy high – but no-one was enjoying their night as much as Modeselektor, whose remixes of ‘Berlin’ and ‘Tommy Cash’ were lapped up by the crowd. And it’s not a festival until Attention Bebe have brought the party home, ensuring that Saturday night closed out with some brass and a bang.

The Sunday vibes were immaculate as ever, with the line-up providing plenty of comforting, feel good events so that people could decompress after their Saturday night shenanigans and have a relaxed, rested end to the weekend. Early birds got to enjoy some relaxing yoga, reiki and meditation in The Front stage, and poet Erin Fornoff was on the Further Afield stage for the afternoon, introducing each act with poems specifically written for each of the acts. Glasshouse got the afternoon off to a beautiful start, as their performance of Sufjan Stevens songs like ‘Chicago’ and ‘The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!” proved utterly mesmerising, slowly luring campers out of their tents like a siren call. Later, David Kitt’s fantastic set included Rita Lynn joining him onstage for an emotive performance of ‘Wishing Well’, before Muireann Bradley attracted a huge audience to The Front stage, the 17 year old folk and blues guitarist from Donegal leaving everyone in awe of her skill, maturity of voice, and charm of the young singer, who laughed in recognition of singing songs about drinking whiskey before she’s legally allowed. Ethiopian musician Hailu Mergia brought his unique blend of modern jazz funk late into the afternoon, immediately followed by crowd-pleasers Kila so that the Further Afield stage felt like a celebration of music and culture.

Muireann Bradley by SteMurray

In the Middle Woods, The Gaelic Woodland Project spoke with Killyon Manor’s Roland Purcell about the surrounding woods and how they’re trying to preserve the natural landscape that festival goers marvel at every year. Respect and love for the land was the theme of Sunday’s talks and workshops, which also featured anotype printing and discussions on the impact of environment on our psyche. There was a strong sense of connection through all of Sunday’s events, and the family friendly puppet show ‘The Watermelonification of Petro Kavun’ was an unexpected delight in the Treehaus before Sing Along Social brought their usual brand of confetti and unicorn-filled fun, getting everyone to their feet dancing around to Chappell Roan, George Michael and Rihanna.

John Francis Flynn by Cian Flynn.

Everyone leaving the festival noted, as ever, how incredibly friendly everyone working at the festival was and how attentive the Another Love Story team were to keeping all the facilities clean, safe and operational. Indeed the only sour note of the festival came from one unknown person who vandalised a beautiful artistic installation in the small church ruins that lie in the woods of Killyon Manor. Last year, the church housed a beautiful memorial for Sinead O’Connor and this year the installation focused on remembering 600 Palestinian children who have been killed since October last year. The simple installation of paper on which the names and ages of these young souls were written and hung beside delicate flower arrangements was quietly devastating and deeply moving, allowing festival goers to remember what is still happening in Gaza. However, on Sunday morning this installation was cut down in an act that was shocking and unnerving – but served to highlight precisely why it is so important to come together, to create art, to celebrate life, and to always keep talking about the cruelties of the world, and why we need to fight for better.As its name implies, Another Love Story is a festival that always embraces love and will fight for it. We’ll be back.