Certain to appeal to live music enthusiasts from Athlone and the wider Midlands region, the inaugural Night & Day festival was officially launched at Clonalis House, Castlerea, this week.
Festival organisers Cruachan Productions told local stakeholders how the grounds of the historic home will be transformed into a musical oasis on September 24 and 25.
The festival will take place during the autumn equinox, a time of equal periods of night and day, across three tented stages.
Festival goers will be treated to a packed schedule of music, comedy and political debate.
The festival line-up will be unveiled on this evening (Thursday, February 17 ) and will be visible at nightandday.ie - with one of the most exciting festival line-ups in the country promised.
Tickets will go on sale at nightandday.ie on Friday, March 11.
Ballymore Properties are the main sponsor of the festival, which is also being supported by Ireland West Knock Airport.
Cruachan Productions is family run company, comprised of uncle and nephew pairing Brendan Hurley and Craig Hughes.
“We’re aiming to bring a world class festival to Castlerea, that will have a blend of music, comedy, storytelling and debate.
“We’re really thankful for the support we’ve received so far from our sponsors and the O’Connor Nash family, for putting their trust in us, because without them this wouldn’t be possible,” Festival Director Mr Hurley, said.
“It’s exciting to launch a music festival, but it’s even more so to do it in a part of the country where we grew up and that has been underserved and under utilised in terms of live music for too long.
“Our aim is to bring some of the biggest acts in the country to Night & Day, but we’ll also be giving emerging artists from the region a platform to showcase their talents,” Head of Communications Mr Hughes, added.
Clonalis House, the home of Richard and Carol-Anne O’Conor Nash, will host the festival.
“We’re delighted to welcome the Night & Day festival to Clonalis, we believe Clonalis with its 700 acres of woodland and pasture and surrounded by nature is the perfect setting for a festival and perfect setting to celebrate the autumn equinox.
“We’re delighted to welcome people to Roscommon and showcase Ireland’s hidden heartlands, and bring people to an unspoilt part of the country.
“It will give people a further opportunity to discover the soft bogs and roving lakes, and appreciate what’s on our doorstep,” Mrs O’Connor-Nash remarked.