Festival that really has something for everyone

 In a world full of arts festivals, Shorelines in Portumna’s is a breath of fresh air. This community based event, which runs from next Thursday, September 19 to Sunday, September 22, draws on the strengths and interests of local people for a programme that includes everything from the dying art of letter-writing to yarn-bombing.

The six-strong committee which organises Shorelines may not have the biggest budget in the world, but their abundance of creativity more than compensates for that.

 It’s not every festival that offers people a chance to explore their rich parish history via a guided tour of local graveyards. Nor is it usual to have a poetry recitation competition in memory of a well-loved local member of the arts community, but that’s what will be happening in Portumna on Sunday, September 22. Lines Learned by Heart is in memory of the late Nicholas Treacy and poems for the competition should date from before 1937, which was the year he was born.