Paul Brown, Earagail Arts Festival director, welcomes Mayor of Letterkenny, Cllr. Dessie Larkin and Siobhan Barrett-Doherty, Sales and Marketing Manager, Station House Hotel to the launch of this year’s event.
BY SEÁN P. FEENY
THE Earagail Arts Festival kicks off in Burt tonight (Friday) and with brand new format in place, the organisers are confident it will be a big year on the festival’s 25th birthday.
Popular singer Liam Ó Maonlaí rehearsing all week with the cast of the sold out Awakening The Horsemen theatrical show at the Féile Grianán Ailigh in Burt and Paul Brown, festival director, said it is shaping up to be a ‘fantastic’ opening tonight.
“As we approach this year’s festival with a new format, our first and last shows were the first to sell out, coincidentally, and our other big shows are also selling very well.
“The Clannad and Altan Abhaile concert is close to selling out, so we’d advise anyone locally to get tickets for the shows they want to see very soon,” he said.
Mr Brown said the festival team has seen a great response two the new format which aims to great three central hubs of arts and entertainment during the duration of Earagail Arts.
“The festival is kicking off in Inishowen with two fantastic music shows at McGrory’s in Culdaff, trad trio Mick O’Brien, Emer Mayock and Aoife Ní Bhrian (Saturday) and The Backyard Devils (Sunday), as well as our special commission, Destination Doughnut.
“This is a new piece directed by Carndonagh native Caitriona McLau-ghlin, on the theme of emigration which takes you on a bus journey like no other across the peninsula.”
The director said through the new format the festival aims to drive tourism towards the three areas of Inishowen, West Donegal and finally, Letterkenny.
“Earagail Arts continues on July 6 when the festival’s extensive visual arts programme kicks off across the county, including The Glass Album photographic exhibition at An Gailearáí in Gaoth Dobhair, a great reflection of the area in the 1870s and 1880s.”
Earagail Arts Festival continues until July and will come to a close with a weekend of lots of great events in Letterkenny (Recommendation: Damn The Circus at the festival big top in Letterkenny Town Park). www.eaf.ie
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