This year's 46th Clifden Arts Festival is set to uphold its tradition of nurturing artistic passion and fostering creative expression.
The longest-running community arts festival in Ireland takes September 13 to 24, and yet again promises to have something to excite everyone in the 2023 programme.
The festival, described by President Michael D Higgins as a "unique and outstanding experience… a ‘meitheal’ between artists and audience forged on a profound respect for community and belonging”, boasts engaging talks and literary events that unite authors, poets, journalists, and thinkers, who hail from both Ireland and across the globe.
Kicking off on Wednesday September 13, Breandan O Scanaill presents a captivating talk tracing his pilgrimage from Clifden to Santiago de Compostela during the months of April to September 2022.
Following this, author Jim Carney will delve into Seán Purcell and Frank Stockwell's From Childhood Companionship to Gaelic Football Stardom.
Poets Anne Donnellan and Pete Mullineaux, and Rachael Hegarty, whose work has been aptly described as “emotional and tender,” “witty and philosophical” take place on Thursday September 14 and Friday September 15.
John F Deane, a luminary in the poetry realm and founder of Poetry Ireland, will share the stage with accomplished poet James Harpur, co-author of Darkness Between Stars. James Morrissey's talk "Garech Browne - Claddagh Records" unveils Browne's rich legacy. A friend of the late Browne, Morrissey is a distinguished communications consultant and author with a diverse professional background.
Kevin Cronin's "The Search for Franklin: An Irish Connection" offers a first-hand account of the Irish-Canadian Franklin Expedition, while eminent Professor Rose Anne Kenny unveils her latest work, "Age Proof: The New Science of Enriching Longevity". Dr Margarita Cappock's illustrated lecture delves into the early life and intricate relationship between renowned artist Francis Bacon (1909-1992 ) and Ireland.
Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill, an authority on Connemara's history, will paint a vivid portrait of the Clifden workhouse's final years - a chapter often entwined with the Great Famine - and its shuttering under the Free State government in December 1921.
For additional information log on to www.clifdenartsfestival.ie
