Slane

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Contact Sean on 087-6783729 or email swall32@gmail.com if you have an item for this column.

FLEADH CHEOIL EVENING

Slane village will host an open air fringe concert of traditional Irish music and song as part of the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil week, this Tuesday evening, August 14th.

Organised by the Johnstons Folk Festival committee the concert will be held in the Village Garden, running from 8 - 9.30pm and all are welcome to attend and join in the Fleadh spirit. Music for the evening will feature Slane’s own traditional Irish music group the Chapel Street Band, who can have as many as 24 musicians on stage at any given time. They were formed over four years ago and perform a wide variety of Irish music and song.

This event is free of charge and limited seating will be available on a first come first served basis. The Chapel Street Band will also perform during Fleadh week at Ledwidge Cottage on Monday, August 13th, and at Seisiun an tSeomra Taispeain at Matthews Lane, Drogheda, on Friday August 17th. They will also be part of the Fleadh Cheoil final day in Drogheda on Sunday, August 19.

ART EXHIBITION

Teach Raithneach Art Group is proud to present its artwork in an exhibition entitled ‘Art Notes’ that will take place during Fleadh week. It will take place in the Art & Print Gallery, Slane (opposite the Post Office) and continues until Saturday, August 18th, from 11am to 7pm daily.

SLANE FOLK FESTIVAL

The eighth annual Johnsons Folk Music Festival will be held in the village the weekend of September 14th. This year the opening festival concert on Friday, 14th, will feature Kieran Goss, with special guest Annie Kinsella. Kieran is one of Ireland’s leading songwriters and performers and he has a huge fan base right across the globe. His live performances are a real musical treat and those attending his Slane concert won’t be disappointed. Kieran will perform the opening half of the concert solo and will be joined on stage for the second half by harmony singer Annie Kinsella, herself a really talented performer in her own right.

The Saturday evening concert will feature local artist Eugene Gallagher. Following in the footsteps of the Johnsons Folk Group Eugene has been performing since the age of 15 at local music venues as well as in the UK and Germany. This will be his first Irish concert following his return from very successful tours in Canada where he performed to over 1500 at concerts in Alberta, Calgary, Vancouver and Banff.

Both concerts will take place in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Slane, commencing at 8pm. Concert tickets are available from the Hub/Tourist

Office, 041 9824000 or email brescu@gmail.com

The festival concludes on Sunday afternoon, September 16th, with an open air concert from 3pm in the Village Garden.

SEE THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION

Want to see the archaeological excavation at the Devenish Lands at Dowth. It is being opened to the public for the first time during Heritage Week by Devenish in partnership with UCD School of Archaeology. The excavation will be open from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday, August 18th and Sunday, August 19th.

The event is suitable for children and parking is available. Admission is free, but pre-booking is required at comms.devenishnutrition.com/c/57120/115716 At the Devenish Lands at Dowth in the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, agricultural science and archaeology are working alongside each other in this beautiful landscape that has been farmed for 6,000 years. The Devenish Lands at Dowth is an internationally-recognised research farm dedicated to sustainability and health. You need to book to see the excavation but, without booking, you can visit Dowth Hall, hear about its history, the excavation and the sustainable agriculture research work.

A LITTLE BIT OF FRANCIS

A Little Bit of Francis is a musical by the Holy Family Youth Group in preparation to welcome Pope Francis to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. It tells the story of Pope Francis in music and drama and will be performed in the Holy Family Church, Drogheda, on Tuesday, August 21st at 7pm. No admission fee, donation box at the door.

ROCK FARM WEDDING FAIR

The Rock Farm Wedding Fair is taking place on Tuesday, August 21st from 5pm to 7.30pm. Come and see what Rock Farm is all about. We have an unique wedding venue which gives couples the opportunity to create their own bespoke wedding. Simply decide on venue setting, menu, theme and size of wedding and we can prepare a costing to suit your budget.

Book your tickets eventbrite.ie at www.

VILLAGE GARDEN CONCERT

Navan Silver Band will perform in the Village Garden, Slane on Sunday, August 26th, at 2.30pm. All are welcome.

SHANNON TO THE BOYNE

A 120km sponsored walk from Carrack On Shannon to Slane takes place on the weekend of August 26. It starts on Friday, 24th and finishes on Sunday, 26th. Participants can undertake the full walk or part of the way. A number of local charities will benefit, including Slane Tidy

Towns, Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre and SOSAD. For further details contact Brian on 086 6097201 or Robbie on 085 1154081.

RATHKENNY 5K

Registration is now open for Rathkenny AC’s 5K road race and fun run which takes place this Friday, August 17th, at 7.30pm. This is a AAI approved chipped timed event on country roads around Tankardstown House and Rathkenny. €15 online entry (plus booking fee) for chipped runners, €20 to register on the evening (over 16s only), walkers €10, juveniles €5. Register on the evening between 5.30pm - 7pm.

Registration details at Rathkenny AC facebook page or contact Brendan on 0860724911.

WATER PIPE UPGRADING

The laying of 6k of pipe by Meath County Council in conjunction with Irish Water in Slane village is continuing and a traffic management system is in place with a stop and go system. There will be some water outages when connecting from old system to new with a three day notice given to householders and businesses.

LOUGH DERG

Slane parish will have their annual one day retreat to Lough Derg on Tuesday, September 4th, For information and booking contact the parochial house on 041 9824249.

HILL OF SLANE TOURS

Free tours of the Hill of Slane every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday at 2pm from the Hill of Slane car park. Tour is between 30 and 45 minutes. Tours at other times are available by arrangement and groups can also be catered for. Further details athttps:// www.facebook.com/HillOfSlane