Éadaoin Ní Mhaiciín, from Claremorris, won the fiddle competition at the recent Oireachtas Festival in Kilarney. The annual Oireachtas Festival is a mecca for lovers and performers of the traditional arts, and this year’s competitions again received a huge number of entrants aged from six years to 68. The range of competitions included storytelling, sean-nós dancing and singing, and the famous lúibíní competition in which two people perform a rhyming story through song.
The highlights of this year's festival included the newly composed piece by Peadar Ó Riada, entitled "I gCuimhne Laochra" (Remembering Heroes ), that was commissioned by An tOireachtas as part of its 1916 commemortations. A central theme in this year's festival was the future of Irish language drama. This year's programme featured an exciting and innovative line up of radio plays as well as a forum on the future of Irish language drama.
“The creation and performance of Irish language drama is a very important aspect of Irish culture,” says Liam Ó Maolaodha, director of An tOireachtas. “In this centenary year when we think of the effect that playwrights such as Lady Gregory, Yeats, and O Casey had on this country, it is vital that we keep this dramatic torch burning brightly, as a way of exploring, expressing, and entertaining ourselves.”
