Gary Kehoe is the Festival Director of the Kilkenny Roots Festival. Since its inception in 1998, the festival has welcomed many of the most respected artists in the Americana and roots music world, including Calexico, Giant Sand, Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Alejandro Escovedo, Guy Clark, Chuck Prophet, Ray LaMontagne, Richmond Fontaine, Rodney Crowell, Phosphorescent, Sturgill Simpson and Alabama Shakes.

In addition to his role with Kilkenny Roots Festival, Kehoe programs a dedicated music strand for Kilkenny Arts Festival and the Imagine Festival. He also works as a booker for a number of venues in Kilkenny and Waterford, helping to bring a diverse range of international and Irish artists to audiences in the region. Kehoe is also the founder of the independent record label Rollercoaster Records, which has released music from artists including Arborist, David Murphy and Malojian.