Great bill of attractions for Street Festival

WE’VE all heard of ducks flying south for the winter, but flying to Clare is just ‘quackers’. These little birds were welcomed to Shannon Airport this week as they prepared to take part in a duck race at the annual Ennis Street Festival.

WE’VE all heard of ducks flying south for the winter, but flying to Clare is just ‘quackers’. These little birds were welcomed to Shannon Airport this week as they prepared to take part in a duck race at the annual Ennis Street Festival.
The excitement is building as the countdown begins to the seventh annual festival. The programme for this year’s festival is sure to inject plenty of joy and fun around the streets of the county town, through a host of high-quality, engaging entertainment, most of it free of charge, set to take place primarily on the streets of Ennis from July 6 to 8.
There will also be a selection of children’s workshops and shows taking place in partnering venues, including Glór.
The festival is organised by a group of volunteers, headed by the festival founder and director Ana Bella Alvarez.
“The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Commitment’. We will be celebrating our commitment to building a strong relationship with the local community together with our commitment to the arts, culture and heritage,” says Ana Bella.
Ana Bella gives a huge amount of time and energy each year to making this event happen. She explains, “Ennis Street Festival is a not-for-profit organisation that embraces and involves a cross section of the community across age, gender and ethnicity.”
“Each year the festival has grown to include more events and yet we make sure that most of the programme is free, or in the case of workshops and shows that we keep the cost to a minimum.”
“To achieve this we rely on funding from Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council who have shown great commitment to supporting the festival. Also, for the first time this year we have qualified for a small grant from the Arts Council of Ireland, in recognition of what we have achieved as a not-for-profit organisation to date and our on-going commitment to supporting the arts in Ennis and Clare.”
She also praises the retailers of Ennis for their support. “It’s a tough time to be involved in retail and because of that we are all the more grateful for the support given to us by the retail community.”
As the finishing touches are put in place for this year’s event, Ana Bella takes the opportunity to call for volunteers to assist during the festival.
“We will need stewards and some people to volunteer for street performances. Our volunteers have great fun and in the past have found their involvement in the Festival to be very rewarding. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer even for a few hours, please register your interest by email at: ennisstreetfestivals@gmail.com or contact Ana Bella Alvarez at 0863096096.
Central to the success of Ennis Street Festival is its family focus.
“We want parents to bring their children into the town centre to enjoy free entertainment. We are in the middle of a recession so what could be better to raise our spirits than some high quality street theatre and dance that doesn’t cost a cent,” says Ana Bella.
“We also intend to inspire artists and local community groups and to stimulate the imagination of the people of Ennis and visitors to the town,” she adds.
Apart from circus acts, mime artists, street performance and storytelling, this year’s event will also feature an arts and crafts market showcasing the work of artists from around Clare.
The market will take place on Saturday in the Upper Market Street Public Car Park and will move to the Abbey Street Car Park on Sunday. The second annual Rubber Duck Race will take place on the river Fergus on Sunday, with over 300 ducks competing for the top prize. Meanwhile the community group events will take place in O’Connell Street.
Children’s workshops, to be held at Glór from July 2 to 6; circus skills, mask making, storytelling and making musical instruments from recycled materials. For further information on the workshops and for bookings visit: www.glor.ie
Two of the highlight indoor shows will be staged at Glór. On Friday July 6 expect to be enthralled, excited and entertained by Barcelona-based ‘Naiara Nunez y Canica Cuadrada’ one of Spain’s top Flamenco companies. This will not just be a night of pulsating Spanish dance, song and music but in a cultural exchange twist, some top local traditional musicians will be invited to share the stage with the Spanish troupe for the finale.
The Changelings, a storytelling show featuring the world-renowned storyteller and illustrator Peter Stevenson and RADA-trained British actress Alison Matthews will be staged on Saturday. This show combines 400 original illustrations, a live music score and puppetry to tell a series of three traditional Welsh stories.
Ana Bella Alvarez hopes that everybody will enjoy this year’s Ennis Street Festival and wishes all visitors “a fantastic festival weekend”.
Check out www.ennisstreetfestival.com for more information.