Brent Ó Caiside

Brent Cassidy has been dedicated to the world of traditional Irish music,

storytelling, and Irish culture since 2000 when he immersed himself in

traditional Irish music and language learning the bodhrán, sean nós singing

and to speak as Gaeilge. Little did he know that this journey would lead him

to a life full of Irish music and culture in Oulu, Finland and beyond. 

Brent is the Artistic Director and founder of The Irish Festival of Oulu, the

world’s northernmost Irish cultural festival and a highly respected Irish

cultural festival in Europe. He’s also a seasoned Irish musician and

storyteller as well as CEO of Gaelic Culture Productions, which specialises

in creative productions and event management.  He has 20 plus years’

experience as Artistic Director, music curator, event production and

musician/storyteller.

In 2006, he founded The Irish Festival of Oulu along with a small group of

friends who shared the vision of wanting more opportunities to experience

traditional Irish music, dance, and culture in northern Finland. The festival

is respected for its versatile, inclusive multidisciplinary Irish culture

programme that unites people together in a warm and welcome

atmosphere.

Since 2006, 104.000 participants have attended the festival including a

who’s who of top Irish musicians, poets, films, theatre performances,

storytellers, and artists from Ireland. The festival is recognised by the Irish

Government’s 2025 Nordic Strategy as the best example of cultural

engagement in the Nordic Countries. Since 2013, the City of Oulu has been

labelled as “The Irish Culture Mecca of Finland” by Helsinki Sanomat, the

leading newspaper in Finland. 

In 2026, Brent is curating Cultural Kaleidoscopes, a 2-day street festival

that features a multidisciplinary arts programme focusing on Irish cultural

heritage set to bring the Arctic streets alive Irish style. This event is part of

the 5-day festival and an official programme partner of Oulu 2026

European Capital of Culture.

Brent has inspired a dedicated team and countless participants through his

passion, leadership, and dedication to the promotion of Irish culture in

Finland, which earned him a distinguished Service Award from Comhaltas

Ceoltóirí Éireann in 2010. 

In 2019, he produced and participated in “the world’s most quirkiest” photo

and video entry in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening campaign which

featured he and 3 others playing traditional Irish music in an ice hole in the

Gulf of Bothnia with -20C temperatures.

Since 2004, Brent has performed traditional Irish music and storytelling at

the grassroots level in various bands and solo in Finland, resulting in 3

published albums. His performance highlights include a 2017 solo

performance at Divulge Dancers’ Film Festival Awards ceremony in

Hollywood and in 2016 as lead bodhrán performing in Bill Whelan’s

Riverdance: A Symphonic Suite with Oulu Symphony Orchestra and Irish

Conductor David Brophy. In 2023, he published his debut storytelling

album The Port Seal featuring 3 original self-penned stories combined with

sean nós songs that garnered praise from storytelling peers and a positive

review from The Irish News.

Websites:

 www.irkku.fi (The Irish Festival of Oulu)

www.gaelicproductions.fi (Gaelic Culture Productions)