Handel’s Acis and Galatea recounts the tragic love between the sea-nymph Galatea and the shepherd Acis. Their happiness is destroyed by the jealousy of the Cyclops Polyphemus, who kills Acis by crushing him with a rock. In her grief, Galatea transforms him into a flowing river, so that their love endures beyond death – a myth of beauty, loss, and eternal devotion that inspired Handel’s enduring pastoral opera.  This one-hour opera will be performed by candlelight, featuring the Irish Baroque Orchestra in St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore – an evocative setting for this timeless work.

Oliver-John Ruthven

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Upcoming events

26 - 28 May, 2026

Acis and Galatea · Blackwater Valley Opera Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Acis and Galatea by Handel

Blackwater Valley Opera Festival

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