Army chief to open jazz festival

DEFENCE Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Seán McCann will open the 13th annual Doonbeg Jazz Festival at 9pm on Friday in the Igoe Inn.
Lieutenant General McCann joined the Defence Forces as an Army Cadet in 1970. A cavalry officer, he was previously Deputy Chief of Staff (Ops), Director of Operations and Director of Cavalry, as well as instructing in the Military College and the United Nations Training School. He is a graduate of University College Galway (UCG) and of the United States Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth).
On October 6, 2011, Lieutenant General McCann was formally inducted into the International Hall of Fame (IHOF) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The jazz festival will run throughout the upcoming bank holiday weekend. This year the festival will feature 10 bands from Germany, the UK and Ireland in a 29-performance programme.
Among the groups travelling to Doonbeg will be Jazzonahz from Trier, Germany; Jazz Main from Edinburgh; The Bourbon Swing Band from Northern Ireland, as well as seven bands from Ireland.
On Saturday, along with the scheduled events, a children’s musical fun day will run from 11am until 4pm. There will be separate sessions for different age groups. There are still a few places available and details can be found on www.doonbegjazz.com.
The party continues on Sunday with non-stop music from early to late, with much of the music taking place outside, weather permitting.  At 12 noon, the 50-piece Southside City Band from Limerick will march through the village.
On Monday, the festival will feature a farewell lunchtime session at Madigan’s.
The festival, which began in 2000, has grown into a hugely popular annual event, attracting many tourists, visitors and locals to Doonbeg over the June weekend.
For a full list of performers, times and venues, visit www.doonbegjazz.com or contact 065 9055345. All events will be free of charge.