Misleór, which starts on Friday the 22nd of October, is a truly special event, and the only festival in Ireland that celebrates and connects nomadic cultures from around the world.
The festival programme includes a mix of in-person and online events, showcasing music, art, film, theatre and storytelling from these minority communities.
Misleór will open on Friday at 7.30pm in the Pálás Cinema, with a special programme of short films. Included is the world premiere of Dreamer, directed by David McDonagh from Tuam, which was produced through the inaugural Misleór Film Bursary.
On Saturday, a number of discussions will take place at the Galway City Museum, exploring different themes, such as the relationship between nomadism, nature, and environmental sustainability, the diversity within nomadic cultures, and the common social and political barriers they often face. Special guests include Gonchigkhand Byambaa (Mongolian nomad ), Anne Marie Stokes (Irish Traveller ), David McDonagh (Irish Traveller ), Richard O’Neill (Romani, UK ) and Shamus McPhee (Scottish Traveller ).
The main evening discussion will feature award-winning Traveller singer Thomas McCarthy, Radie Peat (Lankum ), and family members of renowned Traveller singer Mary Delaney, who will discuss the nature of collecting, preserving and performing songs from the Traveller community. Chaired by Alan Woods from the Irish Traditional Music Archive, this panel discussion will include stories, songs, memories and archive recordings of the many Traveller singers who have influenced Irish folk and traditional music.
The Saturday evening programme will also include a screening of the award-winning documentary Acas?, My Home. This film captures what happens when a family of 11, who for 20 years live in harmony with nature on the outskirts of Bucharest, are chased out of their home and forced to adapt to life in the big city.
On both Saturday and Sunday night, city buildings will be illuminated with images from nomadic artists, cultures and communities. This outdoor exhibition will include Crown Beoir by Breda Mayock, Why The Moon Travels by Leanne McDonagh and Oein DeBhairduin, The Fourfold by Alisi Telengut, CANT Beat by Atmos Collective and STAR, and work by Mongolian photographer Munkhbat Batbayar, Sámi artist Elle Márjá Eira, and Scottish Traveller artist Shamus McPhee. Projections will take place at 7pm and 10pm at the Galway City Museum, and at some surprise locations around the city (to be announced online ).
The programme on Sunday 24th will start at 2pm at the Galway City Museum, with the unveiling of a powerful community art project, created by Traveller and Mongolian communities in Ireland, in collaboration with artist Tommy Casby. This open-air event celebrates the importance of horses in Traveller and nomadic cultures, and features Traveller singer Thomas McCarthy, Romani storyteller Richard O’Neill, dancers and musicians from the Mongolian community in Ireland, traditional paper flower-maker John Corcoran, and local Traveller singer Kathleen Keenan.
Later that evening in the Mick Lally Theatre, playwright Rosaleen McDonagh will deliver a keynote speech for the festival. Following this, she will preview her new work-in-progress Night Shift, read by Fishamble Theatre Company. At 8pm, Michael Collins will perform his one-man-play Magpies on the Pylon, about a Traveller father struggling to cope with the suicide of his son.
Misleór will also present Nomadic Expression, which displays traditional and contemporary objects reflecting the cultural identity of the the local Traveller community. This exhibition runs in the foyer of the Galway City Museum for a month.
Started in 2019, Misleór is a unique collaboration between local artists and community activists working at local, regional, national and international levels. The artistic directors are Alice McDowell, an independent filmmaker, and Lee Anna Ward a young Traveller woman and Community Development Worker with GTM.
“Through the lens of creativity and cultural action for change, the festival will evoke important social dialogue about ethnic nomads and the barriers, prejudice and discrimination that we often face.” Joanna Corcoran – GTM
Misleór is co-funded by The Arts Council under their Festival Investment Scheme. Additional funding partners include Galway Traveller Movement, Galway City of Film, Galway Film Centre, Department of Culture, Screen Ireland, Galway City Council and Community Knowledge Initiative, NUI Galway.
*Events will take place under the strict covid19 regulation guideline.
