Around these parts we may be used to getting spoilt when it comes to exciting events planned over the summer months to keep us occupied but does it get much better than this in Kilkenny?
Kilkenny eyes will no doubt be glued to TV screens over the next few weeks to see how the county’s heroic athletes, Joanne Cuddihy and Eileen O’Keeffe perform in the Beijing Olympics.
With both athletes under an injury cloud, thousands of fingers across the county will doubtless be tightly crossed for the next few days to see if they can compete on the biggest stage. Their performances over the past two years have certainly been enough to suggest that there could be something special in the offing. We wish them both the best of luck.
And of course, this weekend also sees the opening of the 35th annual Kilkenny Arts Festival. For a number of years Kilkenny has laid claim to the title of arts centre of Ireland and few events could have done more to consolidate that reputation than the Arts Festival.
Along with the Rythym and Roots festival and the Cat Laughs, it forms a worthy trinity of artistic indulgence which keeps us satiated throughout the summer, even when the sun refuses to show its face. Events like this create a buzz around the city which can’t help but rub off on all of us.
And if ever a festival could claim to be providing ‘something for everyone’, then surely this is the one. Names like Lisa Hannigan, Mercury Rev, Spiritualised, John Williams and Anne Enright are sure to draw a large following from outside the county, meaning a direct and welcome cash boost for the city and its traders.
In the visual arts, a strong line-up mixes international artists with local artists and adds an artistic flair to the city for the ten days with numerous exhibitions throughout the city and indeed the county as part of the festival and the fringe.
Exciting acts from across the spectrum of world music will also be performing over the festival’s run from Malian toureg group Toumast, through Tomasz Stanko’s Nordic jazz quintet, the sounds of Cuba from Havana Son and the sounds of the Balkans from Savina Yannatou.
There will also be a feast of theatre and a whole list of literary events, free public performances and children’s events too numerous to mention. It promises to be exciting!
Of course, the demise of the Dysart Festival in Thomastown has been well covered in recent days. In a time when there seems to be a new music festival on in some town in Ireland every weekend over the summer, it was always going to be tough ask for the organisers to hit the nail on the head with this one, in spite of the ideal venue.
It seems to be really a case of hit and miss, but how nice it would have been for Kilkenny to have its own annual music festival attracting some of the most exciting names in music to the county every year. Here’s hoping the promoters find the heart and the finances, and most importantly the audience, to resurrect the idea next year.
But as it stands there will still be a host of great acts performing in the city over the weekend, including the Blind Boys of Alabama, Gemma Hayes, Republic of Loose, John Martyn and Cathy Davey.
So if you’re worried that you might not be able to find something to do over the next few days, think again. It’s all or nothing at this stage.
