The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
‘All sails aloft’ for Patrick O’Keeffe fest
THIS year’s Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival will mark the 25th occasion on which the festival has been held since it was founded in 1993.
The 2017 event, which will be held from Friday, October 27 to Monday 30th inclusive will set out to salute the great names of the Sliabh Luachra style of music with a special emphasis on the fiddle and its legendary master after whom the festival is named.
With the likes of RTÉ broadcaster and piper Peter Browne continuing to provide support for the event and Paudie O’Connor and Matt Cranitch as musical advisors this year, the festival will honour the memory and legacy of Patrick O’Keeffe with a huge programme of events.
Classes in the local traditional instruments, the fiddle and accordion, flute and banjo have been organised with some of the leading players of our time officiating.
The festival came about as a result of a prompt from Peter Browne to Mary Jones on the completion of his RTÉ Radio One documentary on O’Keeffe in 1993.
Festival PRO Conor O’Mahony posted a list of names on the festival Facebook page and he said that Ireland’s finest traditional musicians will come together to celebrate the music of Patrick O’Keeffe and Sliabh Luachra.
“It promises to be the biggest festival to date, with a mixture of music classes, recitals, sessions, singing workshops, poetry workhops, céilí’s, cúpla focail and of course the concert - there will be something for everyone,” said Conor.
A frightening line-up of musicians is being compiled and the majority have been confirmed – and one or two will probably be anointed before the weekend is through.
As the late festival co-founder, Mike Kenny would say it will be an ‘all sails aloft’ kind of weekend.