Fresh from a highly successful 34-date European tour, acclaimed composer and master guitarist Dave Flynn returns to Aotearoa in 2026 with a brand new show "Flynn’s Celtic Strings". He is joined by Wellington-based fiddle player/vocalist Em Griffiths and Kawerau mandolin player/vocalist Lee Corbett Barton for a wonderful concert of Celtic songs, tunes and tales.
Hailed for working “effortlessly across musical boundaries” (Radio NZ) and giving “Irish music a classical twist” (NZ Listener), Dave Flynn directs performances that are “played with intoxicating verve” (Elizabeth Kerr, Five Lines).
Dave’s prior NZ tours have won widespread acclaim, including sold-out shows with the NZ String Quartet at the 2025 Wanaka Festival of Colour and collaborating with Dunedin legend Robert Scott (The Bats, The Clean) at Dunedin Folk Club.
Flynn is a musician of many hats: orchestra conductor, guitar virtuoso and award-winning composer who is as renowned for his collaborations with Irish fiddle star Martin Hayes as he is for his own ensemble the Irish Memory Orchestra.
With Flynn's Celtic Strings he has formed his first ever New Zealand-based group and they will make their debut performance in The Globe, Palmerston North on 12th Feb.
Expect a Celtic celebration of the 20th anniversary of Flynn’s groundbreaking debut album Draíocht– a magical mix of songs and instrumentals. Be immersed in the Kiwi-Celtic suite *Sketches of Aotearoa*, alongside rich vocal harmonies, stirring reels and jigs, and the occasional tin whistle!
An unmissable event for lovers of Celtic songcraft and inventive instrumental interplay.
Please note this information should be used as a guide only. To help ensure your safety we advise you review our safety page and contact the individual provider for up to date information on their compliance with all Health and Safety and regulatory requirements.


CEDA
Level 1, 5 Broadway Avenue,
Palmerston North 4410
+64 6 350 1830
[email protected]
CEDA.nz
Palmerston North City i-SITE
The Square, Palmerston North
0800 MANAWATU
(626 292)
[email protected]
ManawatuNZ.co.nz/isite

Feilding and District
Information Centre
Te Āhura Mōwai
64 Stafford Street
+64 6 323 3318
[email protected]
ManawatuNZ.co.nz/feilding
Tap on the
throughout our website to add an experience, accommodation, or event to ‘My Trip’, or explore directly from our interactive map. View Map >
You can drag and drop activities to reorder them. Try downloading so you can print or share your upcoming Manawatū itinerary