Clifden basks in warm glow of superb community arts festival

Finding time to eat and sleep presented the biggest problem at this year’s Clifden Arts Festival, given the quality and range of events. Not to mention that this is a festival where artists and audiences meet and mingle in a way that just doesn’t happen at larger gatherings.

Making people feel welcome is what they do and it was delightful to enter the Courthouse for Metamaraphosis an exhibition of sculptures by artist and marine biologist John Coll and learn we were welcome to touch the pieces. We could put our grubby paws all over his works, which we did because the pieces in this magnificent show, about the wonders and fragility of marine life, begged to be touched.

Other exhibitions included a retrospective, From Cubism to Claddagh, by Margaret Irwin West, as well as Uisce, an exhibition of oil paintings by Paddy Lennon, that enticed the viewer to sit and contemplate.

There were experimental works too, including some from the Interface residency space in Lough Inagh Valley. Three books which related to Interface were among the many prose and poetry collections launched during the 11-day festival.

Theatre included The Muse and Mr Yeats from local group Curlew, Before from Pat Kinevane, and Joxer Daly Esquire from Felim Drew as well as Sphere of Light. This powerful staged reading on the Boleyn family featured a sublime performance from Elaine Montgomerie, an actress in her 90s.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.