Healthcare focus for Feakle festival

Last year the Feakle International Music Festival marked a quarter of a century of celebrating Irish traditional music and as it crosses that threshold to host this year’s 26th festival, it brings with it exciting prospects for the future.

 

This will be not just a gathering of musical talents, as the festival welcomes a new addition and hosts a special conference on Irish dancing and Parkinson’s Disease.

Taking place from August 7 to 12 the Feakle festival also celebrates the year of The Gathering and will host a group of traditional music players from Italy. In addition the opening ceremony will be presented by Dr Daniele Volpe, an Italian neurologist and musician who is a frequent visitor to the festival. It was in Feakle some years ago that he was inspired to conduct research on the benefits of Irish set dancing for Parkinson’s patients. The results of his research will be presented to the conference.

The programme, as ever, has something for all traditional music fans, workshops with master tutors, concerts featuring Ireland’s finest, sessions from noon till late, poetry and so much more.
On Thursday, as part of the collaboration with Dr Volpe and his dance group and musicians, the festival is hosting a special Gathering which will be a café style evening of music, featuring both musicians from Italy and the best of East Clare.

The Friday night concert will feature The Voice Squad and The Clare Memory Orchestra.

“Feakle is honoured to have the first full presentation of the Clare Memory Orchestra. Founded by composer David Flynn the orchestra comprises traditional and classically trained musicians, who unlike a symphony or chamber orchestra, perform from memory,” Amy Garvey, festival secretary, said. Guest musicians for this concert include Máirtín O’Connor, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.

Meanwhile Saturday’s Gala concert will feature two of this year’s TG4 Gradam Ceoil award winners, Seamus Begley and Dermot Byrne, as well as Sean Garvey, Benny McCarthy and Florianne Blancke.

Award-winning poet Rita Ann Higgins will make her Feakle debut at a poetry reading to be held on the Saturday and on Sunday, the singers session will be held as a tribute to the late, great Robbie McMahon. These are some of the many free events being held across the festival, which also includes a puppet show for children, outdoor concert, the East Clare Young Musicians concert and more.

“For the first time since the recession we are very nervous this year as we did suffer a bit last year due to the weather and cut backs. However it never ceases to amaze us that people return year after year and also travel from afar and find us. Last year we had people from Australia, Sicily, the US, Hungary, France, Holland and Japan, many come as a result of hearing Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill in concert and others because of word of mouth,” Ms Garvey commented.

Advance booking for the concerts is available in July and early booking is advised.