LAUNCHING the seventh Skibbereen Arts Festival on Tuesday night, Ann Davoren, director of Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, urged people to support the extensive programme of events.
LAUNCHING the seventh Skibbereen Arts Festival on Tuesday night, Ann Davoren, director of Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, urged people to support the extensive programme of events, which includes some of the world’s most talented musicians and artists at 25 venues in the West Cork town.
Skibbereen Arts Festival takes place from July 24th to August 2nd. Abbeystrewry Church will be the home of many concerts held by various talented musicians for the week, including; a rare Irish appearance by Scottish troubadors James Yorkston and Alasdair Roberts for a double concert and the ‘Canon Goodman Concert’ hosted by folk legends Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny.
Congolese singer Niwel Tsimbu will perform in the first ever concert hosted in the Skibbereen Courthouse. The unique ‘4 Plays in A Day’ returns, while the art of poetry and spoken word features heavily with appearances by Gabriel Rosenstock, Liz Nugent, Tom French and Clara Rose Thornton and highlighted by the third annual 12-hour ‘Poetry Marathon’. Skibbereen will become an art gallery for the week with the work of over 50 artists on display at various venues and an ‘Art Trail,’ following the path of the lIen River that will be launched by Ireland’s best-known living artist Robert Ballagh.
The Skibbereen Arts Festival is perfect for families as the programme also features some stunning nature and history walks, talks and discussions, and a plethora of interesting and educational workshops for all ages. There is also an opportunity to see a brand new show, Café by integrated dance company, Croi Glann.
The festival opens with a very special event to mark the centenary of the death of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa on Friday 24th as Skibbereen will go back in time to the 19th century with a spectacular street parade to commemorate the life and times of one of the town’s most famous sons.
Speaking at the launch at Kalbo’s Uillean, festival chairman Brendan McCarthy said that the ethos of the festival is ‘inclusion and accessibility’ and everything is very reasonably priced with many free events and many opportunities to view or to take part.
