CELEBRATING THE
THE FESTIVAL INSPIRED BY THE YEATS BROTHERS IS IN ITS 7TH YEAR.
INSPIRED by the work of brothers Jack and William Yeats, the Tread Softly festival is a programme of events that not only celebrates the artistic talents of the siblings, but also the landscape and the stories that inspired them in County Sligo.
Now in its seventh year, the festival has grown from strength to strength.
Events are inspired by the Yeats brothers, but you do not have to be an avid Yeats enthusiast to enjoy what is on offer at Tread Softly... This is a festival for everyone.
“I suppose it starts with the Yeats’ at the core of it, but you don’t have to be a huge Yeats enthusiast. We are very lucky here in Sligo we live in an extraordinary landscape,” explained Niall Henry, of the Blue Raincoat Theatre, Spokesperson for the festival.
He added: “The Tread Softly Festival is all about how we respond to the landscape and everything that is around us.
“The arts are very strong here in Sligo, You have Cairde on at the minute and then Tread Softly comes after that.”
The format of the festival has changed slightly as Niall tells The Sligo Champion: “We’ve based things on the landscape of Sligo, the visual aspects, spoken word and that kind of thing.
“There are loads of great highlights like the launch of a new free literary broadsheet called ‘ The Cormorant’. We also have a project called ‘Walking Birds’ Mountain’ which is a collaboration between 13 artists who explore the myths associated with Da En on the shores of Lough Gill with archaeologists and when they come down they get together and come up with something that is their response to what they have seen. There are dedicated walks guided by people who know the walks and of course there is the Yeats exhibition too at The Model and the Hamilton Gallery have their collection ‘An Irish Airman Forsees His Death’.”
Well known people in Sligo such as Councillor Rosaleen O’Grady will be taking part in the ‘ To the Waters and the Wild’, leading walkers from Maugherboy to Gibraltar in one of the many guided walks take place.
“The festival is in its 7 th year and it’s going really well. It depends on a collaboration with the likes of the Hawk’s Well,