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FESTIVALS AND ENTERTAIMENT |
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Virtually every village and town in Ireland seems to have a festival
of some kind or other each year. Whatever the pretext for the
celebration, it's usually also an excuse for serious partying. Well-established
ones like the Cork Jazz Festival and the Wexford Opera Festival are
major international events, and getting tickets for top performances can
be well nigh impossible without advance planning. The very word
"festival" seems to act as a magnet for all sorts of musicians, and many
events are wonderfully overwhelming. No matter the size of the town,
there's rarely enough room for all that's happening, with music and
dancing bursting out of the official venues into surrounding streets and
bars. The biggest of the annual events are listed here, but pick up a
calendar of events at any major tourist office and you'll soon get a
picture of the huge range of celebrations
Music
Apart from their sheer exuberance, the most enjoyable aspect of Irish
festivals is, without doubt, the traditional music. Many festivals (the
Irish for festival is Fleadh - pronounced fla) are devoted almost
exclusively to this: the biggest of them is the Fleadh Cheoil na
hÉireann , which includes the finals of the All Ireland music and dance
contests.
However, if you can't make it to a festival, there's usually plenty
going on in the pubs and bars, especially in high season in the popular
tourist spots. Music in Irish pubs is legendary, and there's lots on
offer, though only a relatively small proportion of it is "traditional".
The national hybrid form of country and western, country and Irish, is
extremely popular with a host of regular gigs around the island. You'll
still find that Irish staple, the showband, too, and there's a myriad of
middle-of-the-road pop bands lurking in country areas. Ballads are
another well-developed Irish music form though the term "ballad" is a
bit of a catch-all and open to countless interpretations - it's
generally some form of dull crooning, often accompanied by just a guitar
and monotonous beatbox. Brace yourself for the worst, and from time to
time you'll be very pleasantly surprised.
The cream of pub music, however, has to be the traditional sessions of
fiddles, flutes, accordions, bodhrán (a drum) and, occasionally,
singing. Interest from abroad and the tourist industry has much to do
with the resurgence of this musical culture - but this hardly matters,
since the music can be phenomenal. The west coast (especially around
Clare, Donegal and Galway) has the best of the traditional scene.
There's plenty in all the major cities, and pointers to the best
sessions are given in the text. However, venues may change for all
manner of reasons and it's wise to ask around and keep your ears open
for local tips.
Traditionally Sunday evening was the night for sessions, and in rural
areas this is often still the case (a throwback to restrictions on holy
days that meant partying on Saturdays had to stop at midnight), but
increasingly Friday and Saturday have become just as important, and, in
summer, you may find something happening any night of the week. Things
generally don't get going till late, and a bar that's still empty at
10pm may be a riot of music by half-past. While it's all extremely
convivial and relaxed, if you're a musician yourself and want to join
in, then do so tactfully. The first thing to do is sit and listen for a
while - to make sure you can play to a high enough standard and are
familiar with the repertoire - and then work out who the leader is and
ask. If you're not playing, don't crowd the musicians; the empty seats
around them are reserved for others who may arrive later.
Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann is an organization that exists purely to
promote traditional music and culture, and evenings organized by them
(not always in bars), though by their nature not spontaneous, are well
worth looking out for. They are run by real enthusiasts, and the
standard of playing is usually pretty high
Major annual festivals and events
Saint Patrick's Day (March 17; www.stpatricksday.ie ): celebrations all
over Ireland, including a national festival in Dublin and major events
in all the larger towns and cities.
Irish Grand National (April): horse racing at Fairyhouse (Meath).
Cork International Choral Festival (April/May;
www.musweb.com/corkchoral.htm ): one of the big ones.
Foyle Film Festival (April/May): the best of new Irish and international
film, Derry.
North-West 200 (May): the island's biggest motorcycle road racing event
takes place on a circuit at Portstewart, Co. Derry.
Music Festival in Great Irish Houses (June): just what it says,
classical music at venues around the country.
Irish Derby (June): and other important races at the Curragh (Kildare).
Willie Clancy Summer School (July): one of the biggest traditional music
events of the year, based in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare.
James Joyce Summer School (July; www.artsworld.ie/joyce-school ):
strictly for Joyce buffs, Dublin.
Galway International Arts Festival (July; www.galwayartsfestival.ie ):
festival of music, theatre and general partying - one of the best.
Galway Races (July/Aug): another important race meeting which is very
popular.
Yeats International Summer School (Aug): this Sligo event has often
courted controversy through its exploration of nationalistic themes.
Kilkenny International Arts Week (Aug): includes recitals, poetry
readings, art exhibitions.
Rose of Tralee International Festival (Aug; www.roseoftralee.ie ): a
massive event, centred round a beauty contest.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Aug; www.comhaltas com ): the most important
of all the traditional music festivals, held in a different town every
year.
Oul' Lammas Fair (Aug): four hundred years old and still going strong,
Ballycastle's traditional market fair is a major crowd-puller with
music, dancing, sports and entertainment.
All Ireland Hurling and Football Finals (Sept): the biggest sporting
events of the year, separated by a fortnight, in Dublin.
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival (Sept/Oct): plenty of traditional
entertainment accompanies the lonely hearts side of the festivities.
Cork Film and Jazz Festivals (Oct; www.corkfilmfest.org ): Ireland's
major film event and an enormously popular jazz festival.
Wexford Opera Festival (Oct/Nov; www.wexfordopera.com ): a large
gathering of international renown.
Derry Halloween Carnival (Oct/Nov): street theatre, music and mayhem,
especially during the fireworks display on October 31.
Belfast Festival at Queen's (Oct/Nov): major arts festival, Ireland's
equivalent to Edinburgh, nowadays complete with its very own Fringe.
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