Subj: [IRELAND] Festivals in Ireland - The World of Hibernia
Date: 6/16/01 10:10:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From:    Romilly@home.com (Irish Mom)
To:    IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com

Festivals In Ireland
by Michelle Adam

http://www.twoh.com/summer99/festivals/festivals.cfm

While Americans are lining streets for Independence Day parades
and predicting which teams will make it to the World Series,
Ireland celebrates the months of summer and fall with a stunning
array of festivals. From opera to jazz, there are more than 100
such festivals throughout Ireland, each one more lively than the
last.

In preparation for the millennium, Ireland has grouped many of
these events under the umbrella "Millennium Festivals." The World
of Hibernia has included these and a handful of others in this
handy festival guide.

JULY

Galway Arts Festival

The 1999 Galway Arts Festival runs from July 10 through July 25,
and is one of the centerpieces of Ireland's Millennium
celebrations. Highlights of the festival include the Millennium
Festivals' Weekend on the 17th and 18th, the Galway Film Fleadh,
and the Big Day Out concert. The festival will also include
fireworks and 15 days of theater, music, exhibitions, literary
events, and children's activities. For further information,
please contact: 011-353-91-562-594; e-mail: gaf@iol.ie; or visit
http://www.failte.com/gaf/.

Antique and Collectables Fair

Dealers from all parts of Ireland gather at the Antique and
Collectables Fair throughout the summer and autumn to sell a wide
range of items, including silver, porcelain, glass, paintings,
prints, books, and military medals. Located at Newman House at 85
St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, the fair will be held during the
following days (primarily Sundays) of this year: July 11 and 25,
August 1 and 15, September 5 and 19, October 3, 17, and 25,
November 7 and 21, and December 5th through the 12th. For further
information, please contact Joan Murray at 011-353-1-670-8295 or
011-353-88-267-0607.

Guinness Blues Festival

The Guinness Blues Festival presents three days and nights (July
23rd through the 25th) of live music, including 50 diverse blues
acts, late-night shows, workshops, talks, afternoon sessions, and
the Guinness Rhythm Route. More than 30 venues and bars in Dublin
city center will open their doors to the blues, presenting a mix
of blues, roots, and urban beat, as well as dance. Previous
performers have included Taj Majal, Blind Boys of Alabama, and
Robert Cray. For further information, please contact the box
office beginning six weeks prior to the festival at
011-353-1-605-7711 or blues@carpediem.iol.ie.

AUGUST

Puck Fair Festival

The Puck Fair Festival, dating as far back as the 17th century or
earlier, centers around the enthroning of a goat, King Puck.
There are many stories that attempt to explain the original
intent behind the enthroning, but none of them are authoritative.
>From August 10th through the 12th, the town of Killorglin in
County Kerry will once again select a goat from the mountains and
place it on the Puck Fair Stand, where the goat will be
enthroned. Traditional floats bearing the King Puck will parade
the streets, where pipers, drummers, traditional Irish musicians,
balladeers, and street entertainers will also perform. The three
days will also include concerts and cattle and horse fairs. For
further information, please contact 011-353 666-2366 or
puckfair@iol.ie.

Kilkenny Arts Festival

The Kilkenny Arts Festival has been celebrating music, film,
theater, and literature in Kilkenny for 25 years. This year, from
August 13th through the 22nd, the spectacular medieval city will
present works by the famous Brazilian sculptor Ana Maria Pacheco
and major Irish artists such as Brian Bourke, Camille Souter, and
Brian Maguire. Classical music highlights include the Belgian
Orchestra, I Fiamminghi, the Copenhagen Saxophone Quartet, and
Swiss cellists Patrick and Thomas Demengas. Also included are
black-and-white movies and light shows. For further information,
please contact 011-353-56-63663 or kaw@iol.ie.

Rose of Tralee

County Kerry's Rose of Tralee will present five days of music
from top bands, beginning on August 20th. As one of the
Millennium Festivals' Celebration flagships for 1999, the Rose of
Tralee events will begin with a live laser show, including a
waterfall display and sounds from the ESB's Millennium creation,
The World's Biggest Drum. A new 1,400-capacity dome will house
the Rose Ball and many late-night music events, as well as a free
final-night concert featuring The Beautiful South. For further
information, please contact 011-353-87-239-6000 or visit
http://www.roseoftralee.ie.

The Fleadh Cheoil

Every year, a host town welcomes more than 150,000 Fleadh
fans-not to mention 10,000 or more musicians, singers, and
dancers. This year's popular Fleadh Cheoil will be held in the
picturesque town of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, from August 22nd
through the 29th, and will include millennium festivities,
pageantry, and shows.

The Fleadh attracts lovers of Irish music, song, and dance, with
visitors from across the globe. For further information, please
contact Fleadh Office, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, County
Wexford, 011-353-543-7950 or visit http://www.comhaltas.com.

SEPTEMBER

Irish Antique Dealers' Fair

Collectors from all over Ireland and beyond come every year to
Ballsbridge, Dublin, to browse among the lavish displays of
furniture and paintings, fine old silver and glass, jewelry,
rugs, and at least 1,000 other antique treasures.

This year's Irish Antique Dealers' Fair will be held at the
Royal Dublin Society from September 3rd through October 29th. The
40 Irish antique dealers who display at the fair plan for months
ahead of time by putting aside the best items they can find to
exhibit. For further information, please contact Louis O'Sullivan
at 011-353-1-285-9294.

Galway International Oyster Festival

The Galway International Oyster Festival is regarded as one of
Ireland's most prestigious events, often attracting more than
10,000 visitors, who consume close to 100,000 native oysters.
This autumn the festival will celebrate its 45th year, with
activities from September 24th through the 27th. The main event
is the Guinness World Oyster Opening Championship on the
afternoon of Saturday, September 25th, when competitors from
around the globe compete for the fastest opening time and best
presentation of 30 oysters. Other events include the official
opening gala dinner, the Oyster Festival Parade, and the Guinness
Elegant Lady Competition. For further information, please contact
011-353-91-522-066; oysters@iol.ie; or visit
http://www.galway.net/pages/giof/.

OCTOBER

Dublin Theatre Festival

The Dublin Theatre Festival, Europe's oldest specialist theater
festival, has presented prestigious events from overseas and new
Irish plays for four decades. Held every year, beginning on the
first Monday in October, this year's festival will run from
October 4th through the 16th. Famous international companies
attend the festival, where modern classics of Irish Theater such
as Brian Friel's Philadelphia and Hugh Leonard's Da were first
seen. Other companies include the Royal Shakespeare Company,
Moscow Art Theater, and Tokyo Globe. For further information,
please contact 011-353-1-677-8439 or dubfest@iol.ie.

Murphy's Cork Film Festival

A selection of new international films, including feature films,
documentaries, shorts, animations, and experimental films, will
be unveiled at the 44th Cork International Film Festival on
October 10th through the 17th, where they will compete for
prizes. Every year audiences of approximately 25,000 people
attend the festival to watch films and attend seminars and master
classes. For further information, please contact
011-353-21-271-711, ciff@indigo.ie, or visit
www.corkfilmfest.org/ciff/.

Wexford Opera Festival

The Wexford Opera Festival has been attracting audiences and
performers to the town of Wexford for 40 years. While traders
compete for the prize of best festive window, and artists and
audiences mingle in cafés and bars on Main Street, the central
delight is opera. This year's festival will partake in Ireland's
millennium celebrations, with 18 performances of three operas:
Karl Goldmark's Die Konigin von Saba (The Queen of Sheba) on
October 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 29; Stanislaw Moniuszko's
Straszny dwor (The Haunted Manor) on Oct. 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and
30; and Umberto Giordano's Siberia on Oct. 16, 18, 22, 25, 28,
and Nov. 3. For further information, please contact: Theatre
Royal, High Street, Wexford, Ireland, 011-353-532-2144,
Info@wexopera.ioi.ie, or visit http://www.iol.ie/-wexopera.

Guinness Jazz Festival

The Guinness Festival in Cork is truly an international event,
having featured such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy
Gillespie, and B.B. King since its inception in 1978. This year's
festival (a millennium festival) will take place from October
22th through the 25th, offering jazz day and night-from the
swinging sounds of Dixieland to the cool sounds of modern jazz-in
more than 60 clubs, pubs, and hotels, plus workshops, master
classes, and many other fringe events. For further information
contact the box office at 011-353-1-676-5342;
jazz@questcom.iol.ie; or http://www.corkjazzfestival.com.

Belfast Festival at Queens

The Belfast Festival at Queens has been selected as one of the
millennium festivals. As Ireland's largest arts festival, with
over 400 performances, including dance, theater, comedy, jazz,
opera, classical music, folk, literature, and visual arts, it has
attracted performers such as Philip Glass, Van Morrison, James
Galway, and The Royal Ballet. Although this year's festival is
scheduled to run from October 29th through November 14th, the
full program will not be available until September. For further
information, please contact 011-44-1-232-665-577 or visit
http://www.qub.ac.uk/festival.

* For additional festival or event information, contact The Irish
Tourist Board. In the U.S.: 345 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10154,
(212) 418-0800; In Ireland: Baggot Street Bridge, Dublin 2,
011-353-1-602-4000.

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