Dermot Kennedy has always written like someone carrying the weight of the world in his chest — but on The Weight of the Woods, that weight finally feels shared. Released this week via Island Records, his third album is a return to the source: the land, the folklore, the quiet corners of rural Ireland that shaped him long before the stadiums and streaming numbers did.
It’s a record rooted in place. Not metaphorically — literally. Most of it was written and recorded just down the road from his home, with a forest at his back and longtime collaborator Gabe Simon at his side. You can hear that grounding everywhere: in the grain of his voice, in the stripped‑back arrangements, in the way the songs breathe. Kennedy calls the woods behind his house “a haven for my sense of wonder,” and the album feels like an invitation into that sanctuary.
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There’s a renewed confidence here too. After years of global touring, chart‑topping success, and the kind of acclaim that could easily push an artist toward maximalism, Kennedy has instead peeled everything back. “If I get up in a pub with just a guitar or a piano, I’m certain that I can sing to a room full of people,” he says — and that instinct guides the entire record. The result is a blend of folk textures, country warmth, and melodies that soar without ever losing their intimacy.
And now he’s taking that clarity, that sense of home, on the road.
May and June 2026 mark the biggest headline tour of Dermot Kennedy’s career. It’s a run that stretches across Europe before landing in the UK for six arena shows, culminating in a triumphant return to London’s O2 on June 5th. Then, in July, he steps onto the turf of Dublin’s Aviva Stadium for two massive hometown shows — the kind of full‑circle moment most artists only dream of.
These dates will be the first chance for fans to hear The Weight of the Woods in the wild, songs born in solitude, now amplified by thousands of voices.
UK HEADLINE TOUR 2026
29 May – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
30 May – Manchester, AO Arena
1 Jun – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
2 Jun – Leeds, First Direct Arena
4 Jun – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
5 Jun – London, The O2
Tickets available HERE
Kennedy’s rise has been extraordinary — from busking on Irish streets to sharing stages with Niall Horan, Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, and even performing at Notre Dame Stadium. His songs have travelled far, but his compass has never shifted. That’s clearer than ever in MISNEACH, the new global festival he curated this year, spotlighting Irish artistry from The Frames to Kneecap to Ye Vagabonds. It sold out in both Sydney and Boston, proving that Irish music — and Kennedy’s vision for it — resonates worldwide.
The Weight of the Woods is less of a new chapter and more of a recalibration. A reminder that even at arena scale, Dermot Kennedy is still writing from the same place he always has: heart first, voice forward, rooted in the land that raised him.
For fans, this tour is more than a chance to hear new songs, it’s a chance to witness an artist stepping into his most authentic form yet — grounded, assured, and carrying the woods with him wherever he goes.
