Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival returns... and the line-up is superb
Film censor Sheamus Smith will be interviewed as part of Film Night at Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival.
They said it couldn’t be done. Such was the success of the Arts Festival in Ballaghaderreen last August, people said it could not be repeated. Sorry, but the organisers of the Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival 2024 beg to differ. What is on offer this year - between Saturday, August 3rd and Sunday, August 11th - is even better.
A flavour includes 'Vivaldi in the Cathedral' with a 12-piece orchestra led by Ireland’s best-known conductor David Brophy with a world premiere of `An Irish Four Seasons’ by leading Irish cellist Alibhe McDonagh.
'Blues and Trad at the Cathedral' involves Ireland’s greatest jazz and blues singer Mary Coughlan. Performing that night too will be Lúnasa, described as `the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet'. In addition, there will be the outstanding Cora and Breda Smyth who won over 40 titles for fiddle and tin whistle playing as children in competitions. Cora played fiddle on Ireland's winning 1996 Eurovision entry, (sung by Eimear Quinn) while both women toured the world playing on Michael Flatley's and productions.
A highlight of the Festival for all sports fans this year will be the GAA Night when retired RTÉ journalist Tommie Gorman conducts an interview with outstanding football manager Jim Gavin, who led Dublin to win an unprecedented five All Ireland senior titles in a row between 2015 to 2019 (inclusive).
Drama will bookend the nine days which begin with the incomparable Ballaghaderreen Players who, under the astute direction of Julie Sharkey, present that very black Martin McDonagh comedy . In 1998, Ballaghaderreen woman Garry Hynes of Druid was the first woman ever to win a Tony Award on Broadway for direction of , also by Martin McDonagh.
And on the second Festival weekend, London’s Pilgrim Players will present Shakespeare's comedy at Edmondstown House, with matinee and evening performances.
On Film Night, Gerardine O’Mahony will interview - with movie clips - Ireland’s longest serving film censor and Ballaghaderreen man Sheamus Smith, who freed the Irish people to see Monty Python’s , which was banned up to then. Sheamus picked up his passion for the movies growing up in Ballaghaderrreen, went to Hollywood as a young man and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Ballaghaderreen Cathedral Choir will present `Happy Birthday Percy French’, a tribute to one of Ireland’s most popular songwriters and entertainers, born at Clooneyquin, near Tulsk, 170 years ago. Among his best-known songs are and .
Other Festival events include Finn McCumhaill - a Children's Opera, with local schoolchildren - as well as a puppet show for younger people, while an Art Exhibition in Mulligan's windows on Main St throughout the Festival will include works by leading painters Malachy Costello, Siobhán Cox Carlos, Michael Wann, and local Michelangelo Conor O'Connell. There will also be workshops for artists and writers in the afternoons.
Concluding it all will be Stand-Up at Edmondstown House on Sunday evening August 11th, headlined by the outrageous David McSavage.
There is so much more. Further details and ticket availability will be provided in coming weeks.
