This September, we’re marking two very special milestones at Doolin Cave: 20 years since we first welcomed visitors underground and the beginning of an exciting new chapter above ground.

On Saturday, 19 September 2026, we’ll host our 20th Anniversary and Sculpture Park Vision Launch – an afternoon bringing together storytelling, sculpture, traditional craft, biodiversity, music and the unmistakable landscape of North Clare.

Inspired by Leabhar Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire, the event will explore how stories are preserved, shared and transformed through landscape, material and place.

At the heart of the afternoon are the people bringing those ideas to life. Here are some of the storytellers, artists, speakers and makers you’ll meet on the day.

The Browne Family: Celebrating the Story So Far

For John and Helen Browne, this event marks an important moment in the Doolin Cave story.

It is now 20 years since Doolin Cave first opened to visitors, allowing people from Ireland and around the world to descend beneath the Burren landscape and encounter the Great Stalactite.

John and Helen will welcome guests and reflect on that journey before introducing the vision for the new Doolin Cave Sculpture Park. The planned park will bring art, storytelling, biodiversity and landscape together, creating another way for visitors to connect with the history and character of this remarkable place.

John will also introduce the story of The King of the Cats, continuing the afternoon’s exploration of North Clare’s storytelling tradition.

John and Helen’s daughter, Jennie Browne, is the General Manager of Doolin Cave and plays a central role in its day-to-day operation and continued development.

Jennie will be there throughout the afternoon, welcoming guests and joining the Browne family in celebrating this important milestone while looking ahead to the next chapter for Doolin Cave.

Caireann Browne

Helen and John’s daughter, Caireann Browne, will represent another part of the family’s creative connection to Doolin Cave through Doolin Cave Pottery.

Visitors will have an opportunity to watch a pottery demonstration and see how raw material is shaped by hand. It is a fitting addition to an event centred on material, making and the relationship between creativity and the landscape around us.

Caireann Browne throws each piece of Doolin Cave Pottery from glacial cave clay which has been hand dug 120ft deep within the caverns of Doolin Cave in the Burren in Co. Clare. This unique clay was formed during several different Ice Ages when vast glaciers covered Ireland making it millions of years old. Upon melting, the glacial waters carved out Doolin Cave leaving behind thick deposits of clay. When Geologists analysed the clay they found pollen from flowers that predate the Ice Age and are no longer found on Earth.

Doolin Folklore Group: Keeping Local Stories Alive

Long before Doolin became known around the world for its music, hospitality and wonderful scenery, stories were passed from one generation to the next beside fires, around kitchen tables and wherever neighbours gathered.

The Doolin Folklore Group works to keep that tradition alive.

During the event, the group will present a special storytelling performance inspired by Leabhar Stiofáin Uí Ealaoire, a significant collection of tales and traditions associated with Doolin storyteller Stiofán Uí Ealaoire.

Born in Ballycullaun in 1858, Stiofán was a farmer, native Irish speaker and gifted storyteller whose parents were also known for their stories. Folklorist Séamus Ó Duilearga recorded much of his repertoire between 1930 and 1943, preserving stories that might otherwise have disappeared.

Dr Robert Kilroy: Art, Place, Culture and Community

The opening part of the programme will include a conversation moderated by Dr Robert Kilroy, exploring storytelling, place, culture and community.

Robert is an assistant lecturer in Art and Design Education at Limerick School of Art and Design, part of the Technological University of the Shannon. His work brings together art history, education, philosophy and contemporary culture.

Before joining LSAD, he worked at Louvre Abu Dhabi as Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art and later as Head of Collection Studies. He has also taught at institutions including Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and University College Dublin.

With his extensive experience in art, curating and education, Robert will guide a conversation about the role stories and creative practice can play in shaping our relationship with a place – and how projects such as the Sculpture Park can connect heritage with new ideas.

Brendan Roddy: Working with Glacial Cave Clay

Artist Brendan Roddy will lead a hands-on Glacial Cave Clay Workshop, inviting participants to engage directly with one of the materials connected to the landscape.

Originally from the United States and now living in Ireland, Brendan is an artist and experienced secondary-school art teacher with more than 17 years in arts education. Working across ceramic sculpture, drawing and gestural language, his reflective practice explores vulnerability, strength and the traces and stories we leave behind.

Brendan’s work has been exhibited at River Tree Arts, George Marshall Store Gallery and Sidle House Gallery in Maine.

Clay carries a story of its own, shaped by geological processes long before it reaches an artist’s hands. Through Brendan’s workshop, visitors will be encouraged to consider the connections between material, landscape, touch and storytelling.

Frank McCormack: The Living Tradition of Stone Carving

Few materials speak of the Burren as clearly as limestone.

Frank McCormack of INStone will give a traditional stone-carving demonstration during the afternoon, showing visitors how this familiar local material can be worked and transformed by a skilled hand.

Frank founded INStone in the Burren in 1991 and has more than 50 years of experience in the stone industry. His work encompasses Irish limestone, bespoke sculpture, conservation, restoration and education in traditional stone carving.

His demonstration will offer a closer look at both the patience and physical skill involved in the craft. It will also highlight why traditional making skills remain important – not just for creating new work but for caring for Ireland’s built heritage and passing specialist knowledge to future generations.

Local Artists, Makers and Light Refreshments

Throughout the afternoon, visitors will also have an opportunity to meet local artists and craft makers, see creative work inspired by the surrounding area and enjoy light refreshments.

North Clare has always attracted and supported artists, musicians, craftspeople and storytellers. Their participation is an important part of the day, grounding the wider Sculpture Park vision in the creativity that already exists within the community.

The Sculpture Trail Vision Exhibition will offer the first opportunity to explore how art, story, landscape and biodiversity could come together across the Doolin Cave site.

This is a vision for an evolving project – one that respects the character of the land while creating space for new work, new conversations and new ways of experiencing Doolin Cave.

Brendan Egan: A Special Performance Underground

The afternoon will conclude with a special performance by Brendan Egan inside the cave chamber.

Brendan is an artist, educator and assistant lecturer at Limerick School of Art and Design. His creative and curatorial work is rooted in contemporary art, education and the ways people encounter creative practice.

There are few performance spaces quite like Doolin Cave. Far below the Burren landscape, the atmosphere and natural acoustics of the cave chamber will provide a powerful setting for this closing part of the programme.

Helen Browne will then bring the afternoon to a close with a few final reflections.

Please note that places for the underground performance are limited.

Join Us at Doolin Cave

Our 20th Anniversary and Sculpture Park Vision Launch is a celebration of where Doolin Cave has come from and an invitation to imagine what could come next.

It is an afternoon for anyone interested in North Clare’s stories, folklore, art, traditional skills, biodiversity or landscape—or anyone who simply wants to experience Doolin Cave from a different perspective.

We would love you to join us.

Register Your Interest

We’d love you to join us for this special celebration. Register your interest below and we’ll keep you updated with event information in the lead-up to 19 September.

Please note: RSVPing for the event does not guarantee entry to Brendan Egan’s cave performance. Places are limited and will be allocated on the day at management’s discretion.