Anticipation builds for winter festival

Despite the treacherous road conditions Sixmilebridge and Bunratty will be open for business and bustling with activity this weekend as the 11th annual Winter Music Weekend kicks off this Thursday night.
The event will offer music fans of all genres a chance to sample the talents of many local, national and international artists over the course of 40 events running until Sunday night.
The opening concert will give an insight into what to expect throughout the weekend as this diverse event offers a classical meets traditional music theme.
This gig will take place in the courthouse in Sixmilebridge and sees classical guitarist Brendan Walsh take to the stage at 8.30pm.
Brendan is a two-time Feis Ceol winner, including the George Lowden Bach Prize, and has performed live on both local and national radio. He is the director of the Diversus Guitar Ensemble for which he has composed and arranged extensively. Brendan is now based in Switzerland. He will perform the first half of the concert solo, playing the music of Turlough O’Carolan, Manuel Ponce and Alexandre Tansman. In the second half, he will join with fiddler Orla Harrington, where they will play a set of Irish traditional music.
On Friday, Fada, a Swedish-based folk group, will play in Casey’s at 10pm, while at 11.30pm at the Courthouse the SMB Folk Club pickers session will take place with Mad Uncle Harry.
On Saturday, Mad Uncle Harry will play in Casey’s at 7.30pm, while an acoustic concert at the Courthouse will feature Txutxukan from France, Buffalo Gals from the UK and the Rough Deal String Band, among others.
Meanwhile, other gigs taking place on Saturday include Seamus Bugler at Gilly’s and McDarragh John Nyhan’s band in Casey’s at 9.30pm. Later that night, at 10pm, the Slovak Ducimer Ensemble will perform at Bunratty Castle bar.
Event organiser Brendan Walsh (senior) said, “This year, there is more of a trad content than in previous years, with one of the highlights being Frankie Gavin and the New De Danann, who will be in the Mill Bar on Friday at 8.30pm.
“Txutxukan are great and if you only have time to see one of the bands playing, go and see them. I saw them in Brogan’s during the year and they’re really on the edge. The Slovak Ducimer Ensemble busk on Grafton Street in Dublin and are a light classical music group with an East European swing style. They’re very different,” he adds.
“Sunday is free all day from 2pm and its focus is a family day. Shaskeen will finish it this year, as they start their 40-year celebrations.”
The Winter Music Weekend has gone from strength to strength in the 11 years it has been running and has now expanded to 40 events in 10 venues featuring more than 100 musicians and singers.
“We have improved every year and this year is the first year we’ve five pubs involved of the six in the ’Bridge, so they’ve been brilliant.
“This year, our funding is gone to nothing following the Government cuts but the event has not suffered. We are looking at it positively –with the weather and with people being forced to stay at home – that we will get a good turnout,” Brendan says.
“We also expect to have 100 overnight visitors to the village and roads in and out so far are good. We are expecting to host 4,000 people over the whole weekend and at last year’s event we generated 600 bed nights over the three or four days so it’s become quite a thing for Sixmilebridge.”
For more information or to book tickets, visit www. WMW.ie or call Brendan on 086 8464509. Brochures are also available in music shops and tourist offices in Ennis and Limerick, as well as from local shops in the Sixmilebridge/Bunratty area.