Clifden Festival aims to keep arts flame alive

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

The organisers of Clifden’s annual Arts Festival have been working behind the scenes for weeks now to ensure the event can take place in line with Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.  It’s a task that wasn’t made any easier by Government uncertainty as to what those guidelines actually were, but now Clifden is good to go. The 2020 Arts Festival, a trimmed-down event, will take from September 17-22, with all events, even free ones, having to be pre-booked online and audience numbers being restricted, due to Covid-19.

Programme Co-ordinator Des Lally and Creative Director Brendan Flynn are devastated that people will be left disappointed due to reduced capacity. Their main aim is to “keep the flame alive until next year” when they hope it will burn brightly again.

Guitarist Steve Cooney and singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, singer Seán Keane, pianist Finghin Collins, the ConTempo Quartet, harpist Laoise Kelly and guitarist John Feeley are among the musical acts this year. So is Clifden accordion player Marie Walsh, who will perform with an ensemble of local musicians on September 17, following the official opening of the 43rd Festival by the Director of the Arts Council, Maureen Kennelly.

Other musical events will feature Peadar Ó Riada and Seán Ó Sé of Cór Chúil Aodha; a concert with Máirtín O’Connor, Zoey Conway and Donal Lunny; and one with Loughrea singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon.

Hyacinth Halvey, a one-act play by Lady Gregory, will be performed by Druid Theatre as part of its Galway 2020 commission and Listen Now Again: A Celebration of Seamus Heaney with musician Neil Martin and actress Eleanor Methven will take place on September 21.

There will be a lecture from Professor Damien Kiberd entitled Dante and the Irish Writer, while RTÉ journalist and historian David McCullagh will return to discuss the theme of Éamon de Valera Rule: 1932-1975.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.