Cairde Festival is back with a packed line-up
THE Cairde Sligo Arts Festival is back with a programme packed with indoor, outdoor and online events.
Tickets for the festival went on sale last Thursday to a great response as a large scale celebration of the arts returns to Sligo for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic. Much of the programme has been designed to be safely delivered outdoors, with a small number of indoor events in line with government restrictions. Festival highlights include Writing from the West featuring Kevin Barry, Louise Kennedy and Una Mannion with live audience and live stream ticket options; Ingrid Persaud in conversation with Niamh MacCabe in a live event; and Holy Show: The Alphabet of Birds live at The Factory Performance Space.
Live music highlights with live audience and live stream ticket options include Colm Mac Con Iomaire and Maija Sofia at Juniper Barn, Redmond O’Toole at Markree Castle, and Barry, Folan & McGowan with Special Guest Cathy Jordan at Hawks Well theatre.
The circus is also coming to town with a festival co-commission of Tumble Circus’ Cycle Circus – coming to a village near you; a circus trail in Sligo’s Peace Park with street theatre maestro Grant Goldie and the award-winning Tumble Circus and guests for a very special circus cabaret mashup. Plus Community Circus workshops for 8-15 year olds. Families are invited to an outdoor socially spaced ‘sensory adventure’ with artists Laura McMorrow and Natalia Beylis. Each workshop will focus on exploring one of the senses.
This year’s line-up also sees the introduction of a new visual art trail through Sligo town called Far In Far Out , co-curated by artist Yvette Monahan, and Human Signature, an exhibition at Hyde Bridge Gallery featuring local and national lens based artists, curated by Barry McHugh. Online highlights include a premiere of JM Synge’s In the Shadow of the Glen by Blue Raincoat Theatre Company; the return of the Vagabond Voices series with Sorcha Fox, Wasekera Sekerani, Chandrika Narayanan Mohan; an online concert featuring Landless with Consuelo Breschi (Varo) and Cormac MacDiarmada (Lankum); live theatre performances of White Rabbit Red Rabbit & much more besides. In September, a commissioned piece by landscape theatre specialists Luxe will see them create an illuminated processional spectacle between the waters of Rosses Point and the shifting sands of Cumeen Strand. The event will explore themes of coastal living; beacons of safety & hope; way making; community, people and place.
This event will also feature newly commissioned work by writer Annemarie Ní Churreáin, with sound and visuals by Laura Sheeran.
Tickets for all events can be purchased from cairdefestival.com. The Cairde Sligo Arts Festival will run from July 3 until July 11.