VISITORS from seven European countries are set to visit Ennis when the county capitals hosts the 18th European Culture Week.
The celebration of culture takes place from August 8 until August 12. This festival is being organised by the Ennis group Clanna Mileadha and will include participants from Sardinia, France, Hungary, Sud-Tyrol, Lithuania, Romania and Spain.
The Clanna Mileadha group have attended all the festivals since its inception in 1986 on a bi-annual basis, only missing out on Sardinia in 1990.
The festival was first held in Ennis in 2002 and there is great excitement among the groups to make a return visit to Ennis after 20 years. Covid had an impact in delaying the festival by two years as it was due to be held in 2020.
A spokesperson for Clanna Mileadha explains, “The groups are coming together to celebrate their unique individuality. Each country is showcasing their culture through the medium of music and dance. Throughout the week there will be opportunities for the groups to share and learn music and dances from each other.”
As part of the festival there will be street performances in Ennis town centre on Monday and Friday between 12 and 2pm and also a concert in glor on Thursday, August 11 at 8pm. This is a free concert but ticketed which can be booked through glor box office.
“The performances are vibrant and energetic, with each group dressed in their traditional costume. We encourage the people of Clare to come out and give our visitors a hearty Irish welcome as this is a unique opportunity to see such a variety of musical cultures.”
The spokesperson continues, “As part of the festival week Clanna Mileadha welcomes the opportunity to promote County Clare as a tourist destination with visits planned to Bunratty Folk Park and a day trip to North Clare to include the Cliffs of Moher on the Wild Atlantic Way.”
The first European Culture Week took place in Kaufering and Landsberg in Germany in July 1986. The event was the brainchild of Gunter Volk, the local leader of an organisation, Deutsche Jugend des Ostens.
One of the main aims of the organisation was to bridge gaps between all nations in Europe, and specically to bridge the gulf between Eastern and Western Europe at the time when the continent as a whole was still dominated by the ‘iron curtain’.
Volk’s vision was of an event that would promote mutual understanding and harmony across borders by bringing together groups from different European countries and regions that would represent and present their own culture in music, song and dance.
For further information on European Culture Week in Ennis check www.enniseuropeancultureweek.com or www.facebook.com/enniseuropeancultureweek2022 and @enniseuropeancultureweek2022 on Instagram.