LIAM Ó MAONLAÍ and TG4 Musician of year 2014 Harry Bradley will be among the musicians coming to An Spidéal from Friday July 3 to Sunday 5 for the village’s fourth annual Traid Phicnic festival.
There will be music gigs, crafts demonstrations, and interactive art area, camera obscura, sean-nós dance classes, informal Irish language classes, sea-shore walks, and talks, with the majority of events taking place on the outdoor stage in An Ceardlann Spiddal Craft Village.
One of the highlights this year will be a concert from the band Ré, made up of The Hothouse Flowers’ Liam Ó Maonlaí and Peter O’Toole; INNI-K’s Eithne Ní Chatháin, Cormac Begley, and TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2015 Maitiu Ó Casaide.
Also playing are The Ó Hernan Family and friends from Carna; Tap Room, featuring Harry Bradley, Jesse Smith, Colm Gannon, and John Blake; and The Bonnymen, a band featuring the stellar talents of the great Charlie Lennon and Tóla Custy, as well as Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, Bríd Harper, Tom Byrne, Laoise Kelly, Áine Ní Dhroighneáin, Skippers Alley, Fís, Ríanú, Liam Ó Brien, and Hajime Takahashi.
As a family oriented festival, which aims to be accessible to all, Traidphicnic operates a ‘donate what you can’ ethos to help cover the costs. The festival is bilingual and organised by a voluntary committee. To get a taste of what Traid Phicnic is about, watch this video of highlights from the 2014 event:
Festival fundraiser this weekend
Oíche Boogie on Down 4 Traidphicnic, a fundraiser for the 2015 festival, takes place in Thuas Staighre, Tigh Giblins, this Saturday from 9.30pm. There will be music from the 1970s and 1980s and finger food. Fancy dress a must and there will be some spot prizes for those who come in character. Admission is €10.
For more information about the festival see traidphicnic.com and www.facebook.com/traid phicnic .
