Top-class music and family fun at Clifden Trad Festival
It’s music, song and entertainment all the way in Clifden from now until Sunday as the town’s 6th annual Traditional Music Festival takes place.
It kicks off this Thursday with a CD Launch of Neansai Ni Choisdealbha’s new CD, Draíocht na Feadóige, and a tune-composition competition in the Alcock and Brown Hotel at 8pm.
The official opening and concert takes place in the Clifden Station House Theatre at 7pm this Friday. This free event will feature a host of artists from all over Ireland.
Saturday kicks off with music workshops in fiddle, button accordion and concertina from 10am until 12.30pm in Clifden Community School, followed by a youth session. A sean-nós dancing workshop with All-Ireland Oireachtas Champion John Joyce will take place in Clifden Town Hall at 2.30pm on Sunday.
Music sessions are central to Clifden Trad Fest and this year’s event will include a host of champion musicians from all over Ireland. They include: Laura Beagon (fiddle) from Monaghan, Liz Gaughan (fiddle) and Brendan Quinn (flute) from Tipperary, Róisín Broderick (concertina), Graham Guerin (accordion) and Gearóid Keating (banjo) from Kerry, Michael Curran (Tyrone) and Dáithí Gormley (Sligo) both on accordion, husband-and-wife duo Theresa and Declan Payne from Sligo and Catherine McHugh from Tipperary on piano. Great dancers and singers such as Tipperary’s Deirdre Scanlan will take part in sessions over the weekend.
This Friday night, from 10pm, there will be free sessions in EJ King’s Bar and Lowry’s Bar. On Saturday it’s the turn of the Alcock and Brown Hotel Bar at 2pm, and Mannion’s Bar at 4pm, while on Saturday night from 10pm there will be music in O’Malley’s Bar, the Central Bar and Guy’s Bar. The Farewell Session will be in Foyle’s Hotel at 12.30pm on Sunday.
A highlight of the festival again this year will be the gig rig on the street on Saturday night. Blas featuring Tara Breen (fiddle), Stephen Doherty (accordion), Anne Brennan (singer) of the Brennan Sisters from Maam, Shane McGowan (guitar) and Jimmy Higgins (percussion) make up Blas. They will be joined by a host of dancers and guest artists.
A final CD launch will take place on Sunday in the Station House Theatre at 6pm. Connemara Magic includes over 50 young musicians from all over the area, performing the Connemara Suite, composed by Conor Keane from Clare, This project was commissioned by the Conamara Environmental Education and Cultural Centre, and this event is hosted by Tradfest in conjunction with them.
A few events have been added onto the Trad Fest for this year.
There will be street entertainment on Saturday, with stilt walkers, face painters, jugglers. There are also plans for a traditional street market on the Square.
A busking competition will also take place on Saturday from 1.30pm, and there will be entertainment on the gig rig on Saturday afternoon with Catríona Canavan and Friends.
As always, the public events are free and everyone is invited along for what promises to be a great weekend of music, song and dance. For full information check the website, www.clifdentradfest.com