Acts flying the Dundalk flag
THERE’S a strong local presence at the Carrickmacross Arts Festival which opens tonight, Tuesday August 11 and continues until Sunday with an impressive line-up of bands, comedy, drama, poetry recitals, workshops, artisan trade stalls, open air cinema and children’s activities.
Affectionately known as Ireland’s biggest small festival, Carrickmacross Arts Festival has continued its rapid rise with a stunning programme.
Topping the live music bill are Delorentos, Kíla, Wallis Bird, The Frank & Walters, Declan O’ Rourke, and Wyvern Lingo.
Dundalk will be well represented with Jinx Lennon, Third Smoke, Elephant, Words That Burn, Francis Watters and The Future West, and Just Mustard, playing on the Main Stage and the Drawing Room.
There’s also a full comedy line-up that includes Barry Murphy (Après Match) Colum Mc Donnell (Irish Pictorial Weekly / Savage Eye) and big name local comedians like Michael Downey and Niamh Marron.
A variety of contemporary artists from across a range of disciplines will be featured at the Matthews.ie Visual Arts tent.
The tent will feature live drawing demos from charcoal portrait artist Barry Jazz Finnegan (12-6pm) and performance artist and dancer Fiona KeenanO’Brien (4pm) on both Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 at Callans Artists including Catherine King (watercolours), Flavia Bernardes (portraits), Karen McArdle (textiles), Alma Sheehan (abstract), Pamela Hilliard (landscapes), Brian Gallagher (painting, drawing, illustrator), John O’Flynn (figurative/realist artist), Celia Richards (mixed media), Paul Connolly (digital) will be in action on Saturday.
Sunday features a different array of visual artists including Derek Bell (abstract), Emily McArdle (print/satire), Francis Quinn (conceptual), Marylin Gaffney (mixed media), Michelle Dalton (conceptual), Ellen-Marie Clavin (mixed media/ drawing), Alison Bole (sculptor), Joanne Behan (sculptor) and Hattie Billingham (glass sculptor).
‘As a company who are committed to the promotion of the arts, we are delighted to be involved in the visual arts tent at Ireland’s biggest small festival,’ said Matthew.ie Managing Director Paddy Matthews.
‘ The line-up looks fantastic and should open a lot of people’s eyes to the talent that we have among our artistic community.’
A unique arts collaboration in the north east, driven by Matthews.ie, was recently shortlisted in two categories for a major national award.
The Matthews.ie Arts Showcase Initiative has been shortlisted in the Best Small Sponsorship and Best Use of Creativity in the Community in the 25th Allianz Business To Arts Awards.
The initiative provides advertising support to a succession of artists across a range of disciplines over a three-year period.
‘Every six months, a deserving person from the creative sector across the arts disciplines is selected as the showcase winner and have themselves or their works featured as an advertisement on the full back of a Matthews.ie coach,’ said Paddy Matthews.
Artists bidding to be the latest winner of the Matthews. ie Arts Showcase Initiative are asked to enter via Matthews.ie.
Tickets, for the Carrickmacross Arts Festival are available from carrickmacrossartsfestival.com, tickets.ie, participating Supervalu and Centra stores and Callan’s Bar, Carrickmacross. The four day ticket, priced €42, is excellent value and there are also a number of options for single days and events.