Having spent time sightseeing in Paris during our 1994 European trip, Ceoltoiri Kilkenny returned to France in October 1995.

Moret-Sur-Loing is an ancient city situated south of Paris and is a twin town of the city of Kilkenny. Because of this, Ceoltoiri Kilkenny visited Moret in 1995 and presented their show in the Centre Culturel to a very appreciative audience.

Sightseeing included a visit to the castle in Fontainbleu and an enjoyable session in an 'Irish Pub'.

Lyon was also included in this trip. Our first stop was to the Basilica de Fouvriere as part of an afternoon of sightseeing. One of the best performances of the tour would have to be in the Irish Bar in Lyon, after a champagne welcome. The venue was packed to capacity and there was a terrific reception for our music, song and dance. Everyone joined in the fun and we were sorry that our visit was so brief.

In July 2002 the group made a return visit to France for 8 days following an invitation to participate in the 22nd Internationa Folk Festival in Montignac. Each year this festival involves groups from 10 nations and we were honoured to meet and perform as Irish representatives alongside groups from Belarus, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Equador, Mexico, Nigeria, and Vietnam.
Taking part in the parades and the various ceremonies was a wonderful experience and the welcome and hospitality shown to us as a small nation by both the organisers and the other larger groups was amazing.
As well as daily performances at various venues in Montignac, we spent a most enjoyable day in the village of Tamnies, had a wonderful tour of the caves at Lascaux, and were treated to a lovely meal before our performance at l'Auberge du Peyrol (Sergeac).
Despite a hectic schedule we had a brilliant week in Montignac and would very much like to make a return visit one day to this wonderfully colourful and extremely well organised festival.