ÉIGSE AN Spidéil 2009, the annual festival of traditional music, dance, sean-nós singing, art, and poetry, takes place from Thursday March 5 to Wednesday 11.
The festival, which is part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, begins at 8pm in the Park Lodge Hotel with an arts show by students in the traditional arts course at NUI, Galway. There will also be music and song, finishing with a session in Hughes Pub in the village.
The Traditional Dance show on Friday 6 at 8pm in Park Lodge will feature Ira Bernstein from the southern Appalachian Mountain region of the USA. She will give an exhibition of ‘flatfooting’ to the music of Riley Baugus of O Brother Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain fame.
The same evening at 6.30pm, an exhibition by Nuala Ní Fhlathúin will open in The Sliding Rock Contemporary Ceramic Gallery in the Spiddal Craft Centre. At 7.30pm, in Boluisce restaurant, Biddy Jenkinson and local poets will give a poetry reading.
On Saturday at 8.30pm in Park Lodge, there will be a concert with Ben Lennon and Tony O’Connell, Eibhlín De Paor and Connie O’Connell, and Danny O’Mahoney and Gearóid Dinnín. Those who enjoy sean-nós singing can do so in the Boluisce restaurant at 7.30pm for Comóradh Tom Pháidín Tom with Jimmi Cannavan, Máire Uí Dhroighneáin, Lilis Ó Laoire, Seán Ó Liatháin, and Máire Ní Chéilleachair, followed by an open mic seisiún.
Master classes will be given during the festival by Tomás Ó Neachtain (sean-nós singing ), Johnny Óg Connolly (accordion ), Eibhlín De Paor (flute ), Ben Lennon (fiddle ), and Gearóid Devane (sean-nós dancing ).
For more information and tickets contact An Gaelacadamh, An Spidéal on 091 - 553124 or [email protected]
