The Rekindle Festival of Lost Skills is set to return to North Clare on August 16 and 17, with this edition focused on uniting communities across generations and cultures through traditional skills and crafts.
Following its success at the National Pride of Place awards in 2023, this year’s festival, part of National Heritage Week, promises an enriching experience with live music, workshops, and demonstrations showcasing the richness of Ireland’s heritage and beyond.
Festival Highlights include ‘LASRAÍ’ – Rekindle Launch Concert, Ennistymon Community Centre on August 16. Lasraí, which means gathering around the flames, will ignite the weekend with an intercultural traditional music and dance concert featuring masters of tradition from Ireland and also all over the world including Stephanie Keane, Ultan O’Brien and Seamas Hyland.
Aindrias De Staic and Louise O Connor will be performing with top class traditional musicians from around the world including Mohammad Syfkhan, a Kurdish bouzouki player living in Leitrim, Citadel a 10 piece global sounds band formed in a direct provision in Cork and Kateryna Cerniak a folk singer from the Ukraine who moved to Ireland during the current war.
The Rekindle Festival Day, which will take place throughout Ennistymon on August 17, will feature traditional skill-sharing demonstrations and talks. These demonstrations will showcase traditional skills and crafts like regenerative farming from Common Knowledge with Zack Halliday, Heritage Keepers from BurrenBeo, Willow weaving from Micheal Foudy, intergenerational weaving demos with Jean Moran and up and coming weaver Dean Stapleton, lacemaking and knitting demos from Carole Head and the Galway crafters, traditional metal and woodworking demonstrations from younger generationals carrying on the old skills like Reece Foster of Saul Forge in MountShannon and Eoin Reardon based in Bunratty Castle.
It will also feature an outdoor Céilí Mór and Dance Workshop when dancer Louise O’Connor will lead a dance workshop on Parliament Street, culminating in a community Céilí Mór with live music from local musicians.
There will also be a heritage trail around Ennistymon, featuring local businesses steeped in heritage. The trail will include video and audio pieces that highlight the town’s rich cultural heritage.
In addition, there will be a Rekindle Makers Market on Parliament Street, featuring handmade products crafted using traditional methods and a performing arts programme of live traditional music from Ireland and beyond, Irish language events, spoken word performances, and visual arts displays.
Later that evening there will be a Song and Story Session, free event at 6 pm in Cooleys Ennistymon, focusing on storytelling and songs in the Irish language, allowing participants to share their stories and songs in a rich cultural setting.
“Rekindle Festival of Lost Skills is all about uniting communities by celebrating and sharing the traditional skills and crafts that connect us across generations and cultures. This year’s festival highlights the richness of our heritage while fostering inclusion and intercultural connections, events like Rekindle are especially important now when division is tearing through communities all over the island,” said Aoife Hammond, festival producer.
The intercultural nature of this year’s festival is particularly visible in the lineup for LASRAÍ – the launch event taking place on August 17. The event will feature Stephanie Keane, Ultan O Brien + Seamas Hyland: A renowned Sean Nós dancer celebrated for her unique blend of Irish step dance and Sean Nós traditions.
Stephanie, based in Clare, is an accomplished dance artist, performer, choreographer, and filmmaker. She will perform up and coming fiddle and viola player Ultan O Brien from Ennis and Accordian player Seamas Hyland from Waterford with a very special performance especially for Rekindle.
Mohammad Syfkhan is a Kurdish bouzouki player, fresh from his performance on Other Voices who will perform traditional Kurdish and Iranian songs on the bouzouki.
Citadel is a 10-piece Cork-based group playing traditional music from around the globe. The band features members from various countries, including Pakistan, India, Burundi, Ukraine, Russia, and Iraq. They create a unique blend of sounds and rhythms.
The line-up also includes Kateryna Cerniak, a folk singer and guitar player from Ukraine based in Lisdoonvarna who will be singing traditional folks songs from her home country.
For more information or to book tickets for LASRAÍ visit ourcommonknowledge.org.
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and blogger who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.