All roads lead to Swinford for Siamsa

The 42nd Siamsa Sráide Street and Arts Festival took place in Swinford last week, bringing together music, culture, heritage, and community in the heart of the town for seven days of celebration.

From documentary screenings and historical talks to family events and live music, Siamsa Sráide, which translates as 'fun on the streets', lived up to its name, with a packed programme offering something for all ages.

The festival got underway on Thursday, July 30, with an official opening ceremony in the Square with a performance from the Midfield Pipe Band. Bringing the week to a close, country music star Mike Denver took to the Main Stage for the festival's grand finale.

On Tuesday, the Western People joined dozens of exhibitors lining Main Street and Market Street for the Heritage, Craft, Emigrants and Enterprise Day.

For a day, Swinford returned to its roots as a traditional market town, with bustling streets filled with funfair rides, traditional music sessions, demonstrations of traditional crafts, an array of food vendors and stalls selling handmade gifts.

Among the festival-goers were Benji the bunny, Cara the donkey and Penny the partridge, who all proved very popular with crowds throughout the day.

Live music echoed through the town from the marquee outside Mellett's Emporium, where performances from Rigmarole, Risers Band and Finéinn Quinn kept everyone entertained.

Speaking to the Western People, Siamsa Sráide co-ordinator and secretary Brendan Cassidy explained that the festival was founded in 1984 to celebrate International Youth Year. What began as a one-day event expanded into a five-day festival after four years, and has continued to grow ever since.

This year marked the first time that Siamsa Sráide had a seven-day programme celebrating history, heritage, arts and crafts, music, youth, Gaeilge, sport, tourism, enterprise and Irish culture.

With the wide range of events on offer, Brendan said the opening night stood out as a personal highlight from this year's festival.

An 'Honouring the French' ceremony took place last Thursday. It saw the unveiling of a memorial plaque dedicated to two French soldiers buried in Esker, Meelick, who were a part of General Humbert's expedition to Ireland in 1798.

Limerick-based re-enactment group En Garde travelled to Swinford for the unveiling, with a historical re-enactment taking place at the gravesite before participants retraced General Humbert's route back into town.

“We had poetry, music, at the gravesite and then we walked back in on a commemorative march in the traces of Humbert back here to Swinford,” Brendan explained.

The commemorative walk paused outside Corley's Hotel, now known as The Hagen Bar, where General Humbert stayed during his time in Swinford in 1798.

“That for me was a very special moment because there was a lot involved with it, and it brought the whole community together,” Brendan said.

For committee member Seán Healy, the standout event was the Swinford Comhaltas concert held at the Culture Centre on Tuesday evening.

“We had a great night of music, song, dance, storytelling, the whole lot. It went down a treat, we had a great audience who really enjoyed it. That would be one of the big flagship events in Swinford Comhaltas,” he said.

Putting on a week-long festival of this scale takes months of preparation by the volunteer committee long before the first act takes to the stage.

From booking performers and organising the programme, to promoting the events, arranging road closures and implementing traffic management plans, the committee oversees every detail to ensure the week runs smoothly.

Seán explained that while much of the work involved in delivering the festival takes place behind the scenes, it all plays a part in ensuring that celebrations run without a hitch.

“It's all these little things going on that make the festival what it is and make the general public enjoy it on the day,” he explained.

For Brendan, one of the festival's biggest strengths is that the vast majority of events are free to attend.

From the street stalls and live music to fire shows, commemorative walks, historical talks and family favourites such as the Magic Circus and Family Fun Day, the festival offers something for all ages without people having to reach into their wallets.

Brendan thanked the festival's sponsors for their continued support and the local community for getting behind Siamsa Sráide year after year.

“Long may that continue and keep us going for years to come,” he said.

“All roads lead to Swinford,” Seán added.