Clifden Arts Festival
Apologies for the delay of our fourth blog instalment; I am sure you would have guessed with it being peak season, we are very busy here at Connemara Lettings HQ.
Our fourth blog is going to be about a very important annual event in the Connemara year and that is the Clifden Arts Festival…..
Clifden Arts Festival, known locally as Arts Week, has always felt to me as the last hurrah of the summer season and the ushering in of the winter months. The atmosphere around Clifden for those 10 days is carefree, festive and the town is chocker block full of entertaining events to attend. Festival goers and participants travel from all corners of the globe to attend this historic festival in our small coastal town. The festival will be taking place from the 18th to 28th of September this year.
Brain child of Mr Brendan Flynn, Clifden Arts Festival has been running annually since 1977 and is Ireland’s longest running community arts festival. It was established with the idea of exposing the local community school students to all spectrums of the arts with a week of cultural education and enlightenment. Today it is a community wide celebration, with days filled with music, theatre, film, comedy, exhibitions and literature. To use a well worn phrase, there really is something for everybody!
Over its 37 years, Clifden Arts Festival has played host to some very famous faces. Musicians such as The Dubliners, Christy Moore, The Saw Doctors, Mary Coughlan, The Stunning, Sharon Shannon, Picture House, , as well as comedians such as Des Bishop Brendan Grace and D’Unbelieveables; have all headlined the festival, some even making recurring appearances over the years. Well known and loved Irish poets such as Tony Curtis, Michael Longley, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Michael Coady and the late & great Seamus Heaney, have all made appearances at Arts Week.
For me, my favourite part of the festival is parade night, which is held on the last Saturday of the festival. The parade is a motley of colour, lights, smoke and music It consists mainly of the local school children in elaborate masks and costumes, as well as a few acrobats, fire jugglers and stilt walkers; followed by a fireworks display and music on a open air stage. The amazing Rob Strong rounded off the night last year on the town square. To fully immerse yourself in all aspects of the festival, I’d recommend you to come for the week, grab yourself a programme and dive into a wonderful melting pot of culture. Can only visit for a few days? Do not miss parade night!
The 18th of September cannot come fast enough!
For more information about the Clifden Arts Festival, please visit http://www.clifdenartsweek.ie/
