Tuning up for Feakle’s 25th festival

ONE of the highlights of the traditional music year is just around the corner. The 25th Feakle Festival will run from August 8-13 and there are set to be a number of memorable events marking the landmark anniversary.

 

Gary Pepper is chairman of the organising group. He said there is a very hectic schedule.

“There’s something for everyone, it’s a very full week, very complete. There’s everything you could think of in our traditional culture. So far, based on enquiries, it’s looking very positive. We’re expecting a lot of people but most important is the quality of the people. In the past number of years, we’ve had lovely people coming to Feakle from all over the globe and that’s the way we want it.”

It being the 25th year of the festival there will be a certain amount of reflection and on the opening night (Wednesday) a DVD focussing on all the years of the festival will be launched.

“On the night, we’re going back in time and we’re launching a DVD called In Time, In Tune. It’s a documentary film by Hillary Dully, who lives in the area. Basically it’ll look back at the history and legacy of the Feakle Festival. It’ll feature archival material, many musicians from the area and musicians from the festival. It’ll explore the growth and development of the festival over the years and there will be interviews with musicians, visitors and the festival organisers. There’ll be a bit of everything in it and a lot of nostalgia. This is being supported by the Clare Local Development Company and without them we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

When he spoke to The Clare Champion last week the film was still being edited and Gary was looking forward to the final cut. There’s also a lot more going on that evening.

“Áine Hensey will formally launch the festival and there’ll be an art exhibition on the night with local artist Tim Moloney, there’ll be landscapes from this area and further afield. After that it’ll be more informal, with sessions and people will be getting more into the mood of the week.”

Workshops are a big part of the festival and will take place on Thursday Friday and Saturday, from 10am-1pm, with all the major instruments, dancing and singing covered. Normally, three to four hundred people attend them.

On Thursday afternoon there will be a walk to various local points of interest. “That’s a big one, anything up to 120 people go on this walk. It’s one that explores the scenery and the heritage of the Feakle area and it kind of finishes with a refreshment stop and the usual session after that.”

Martin Hayes is one of the most revered musicians to come out of Clare and on the Thursday evening, a film about him will be launched in his own parish.

“It’s the Irish premiere of a film called Natural Grace. It’s two years in the making and it’s about the musical life of Martin Hayes, who’s from the area. Again, it’s a documentary and it’s being produced by Art O’Briain. It allows Martin to tell his own story, play his music and some of his inner most thoughts in relation to music will be aired in that film.”

Following on from that there will be a concert in Caher House, at which Martin Hayes will play as part of the group Triúr, which also includes Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Rathalaigh.

Thrillogy, a Clare group including Kate Purcell, Yuki Nishioka and Denise Glass, will also play.
At 2pm on Friday there will be a tutor recital, which will feature all of the teachers from the festival, who will perform at the Community Hall. This will be followed by sessions for students and beginners in different local establishments. That evening, at St Mary’s Church there will be a performance by Tommy Fleming, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, which is set to be one of the festival’s highlights.

Saturday will be a busy day in Feakle and there will be a very lively concert to top it off. “On Saturday we have the usual workshops again and we have poetry readings with Tony Curtis and Noel Harrington. That’s one that attracts huge crowds and people go on from there to the singing session. In between all that you have sean nós dancing, set dancing and dancing for children. You have a lovely evening promised there and the East Clare Young Musicians will be playing in the community hall, there could be 30 or 40 performing there. The night-time concert is a big highlight as well, you have Sliabh Notes, you’ve got the Voice Squad from Dublin and Joanie Madden from the States. That’ll be an electrifying night and a night of celebrating that we’re in the middle of our 25th anniversary and we want it to be a good, lively affair. We expect to have people hopping in the aisles.”

The festival comes to a close on Monday and the final day will include a concert by Eamonn O’Riordan, Brian Mooney, Tony O’Connell and John Moloney along with some crossroads dancing and the launch of a CD Aon le hAon, by Eileen O’Brien.