CEOL, CRAIC AND MORE AS FOLK & TRAD WEEKEND HITS THE MARK
WITH the focus of the local Comhaltas branch firmly on the grand prize of eventually attracting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to Wexford, a wonderful enthusiasm surrounded this year’s Wexford Trad & Folk as it welcomed some of the foremost traditional musicians from around the country.
This being its second year, the festival got off to one hell of a start with a sold-out concert in the National Opera House featuring fiddle sensation Zoë Conway, guitarist John McIntyre and the legendary John Sheahan of The Dubliners.
An institution himself, Sheahan shows no sign of slowing down in his 80th year and was at his entertaining best, while Conway and McIntyre showed why they are regarded one of the greatest folk duos on the planet.
Sheahan followed up his incredible show with a 90 minute, unscripted chat with novelist and poet Dermot Bolger at Greenacres which turned up some fantastic stories, poems and anecdotes as well as a flavouring of music.
This year’s festival programme was jam-packed with workshops, concerts and late-night sessions in the likes of the Thomas Moore Tavern and Mary’s Bar.
The Saturday night ‘Festival Hootenanny’ attracted a huge crowd to The Sky & The Ground with performances from James McIntyre and Brian Quirke, Fran Greene, J Eoin, Fergal O’Hanlon and Kíla’s legendary frontman Rónán Ó’Snodaigh, as well as a special performance from Cursed Murphy versus the Resistance which instilled awe and terror in equal measure!
The Farewell Concert at St Iberius was another real highlight with acclaimed Gorey uilleann piper Mark Redmond joined by bouzouki wielding Dubliner and ballad singer Daoirí Farrell closing proceedings by trading songs, tunes and stories.
If the enthusiasm for this year’s festival is anything to go by, the general perception is that Wexford is well prepared to take on the biggest trad music festival in the world in the form of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
Chairman of Craobh Loch Garman Matt Murphy wished to thank everyone involved in making the festival such a resounding success, particularly Wexford County Council, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Wexford Music Generation, the WWETB, the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Seachtain na Gaeilge and Creative Ireland.