Music, Cycling & Madness at Conamara Bog Week 09 Letterfrack - May 22nd June 1st

In the Quaker village of Letterfrack the annual Conamara Bog Week 2009 festival starts Friday May 22nd and finishes Bank Holiday Monday June 1st . This is the 25th year of the festival and the organisers Conamara Environmental Education and Cultural Centre are promising an exciting line up for their birthday celebrations.

This is a multi layered festival which attempts to provide spaces for expression for various interests in the community embracing young and old sporting cultural and artistic. The whole festival is wrapped in the very best of trad music and there is a great line up of musicians to join in the festivities – Sean Tyrell, Mary Shannon, Conor Keane , Mary Staunton, Laoise Kelly, Don Stiff, Yvonne Kane, Marcus Hernon, Maire Keane, Mat Kane, Liz Kane, Edel Fox, Fergus Feely, Frank and Theresa Custy, Noel Shine and Mary Greene, Quintan Cooper, Eoin O’Neill, Seamus Heneghan, John O’Halloran, Gerry Whelan, Don Stiff, Gary Quinn and Canadian quartet Van Django and a host of local players, singers and dancer such as the Cunningham family and Emma O’Sullivan, plus a few surprises.

Conamara Bog Week ‘09 opens Friday 22nd May with a schools programme for national schools; a visit by Letterfrack NS to the Ballinakill Active Age Club where the younger generation of musicians and dancers will entertain their older friends. In 1984 CEECC ran their first festival from Letterfrack NS ‘and this year we thought we would put the focus back on the school again and provide a platform for expression for parents and past pupils of the school. An exciting body of work has been produced which goes to show the amount of creativity to be found in the small rural schools’ says Leo Hallissey, Director of CEECC. The exhibition entitled ‘A Sense of Place’ opens in Conamara National Park Letterfrack at 8.00pm, all are welcome, and it will also feature some young talented musicians, singers and dancers in what promises to be a most memorable night. The fun continues with a gig in The Bards Den with an exciting line up which will include flute player Marcus Hernon and family, famed Galway singer Don Stiff and the highly acclaimed Clare music teacher Frank Custy banjo and his wife Theresa Custy spoons. The exciting Cork based duo Noel Shine vocals/mandolin and Mary Greene vocals guitar will also entertain the crowds at The Renvyle Inn 9.45pm in what promises to be a great night.

Saturday morning kicks off with a set of music workshops featuring all instruments in Letterfrack NS at 11.30a.m. – 3.30p.m. followed by an afternoon session in The Bards Den in which all the players with strut their stuff – contact Leo 085 1154629. Saturday afternoon sees the first of the Conamara Bog Week Cycling events, sponsored by Renvyle House Hotel and organised by Western Lake Cycling Club. The 65km 2 lap race through, Kylemore, Lettergesh, Tullycross, Letterfrack will take place at 4.00pm; at 8.00pm Letterfrack NS will host the opening of art exhibition entitled ‘Celebration of Landscape’ by well known internationally acclaimed artist Hardy Langer, all are welcome. A mighty blast of the best of trad in The Bards Den with Mary Staunton, Mary Shannon, Laoise Kelly and friends 9.45pm.

Sunday is a very sporting day which will challenge everybody from 4 to 84 to get out there and do their thing. A really exciting 100km cycle race over a majestic course going through Clifden, Maamcross, Leenane to Letterfrack starts at 12.00pm. Contact John James on 087 9120910 or log onto www.westernlakescc.com for further information on cycling events. The Fun Run a 5km sponsored race from Tullycross to Letterfrack begins at 3.00pm. All monies raised go to FORUM for youth projects, so please run, hop, skip, jump or crawl and take part but do grab a sponsorship card from either FORUM of Letterfrack NS. The day continues with a ‘fun sports’ with lots of novelty events, jockey back races, three legged races, miniature golf, throwing horse shoes as well as penalty shoot out and a clatter of short races.

Music in The Bards Den 4.30pm with Louisburg box player Seamus Heneghan and friends followed by music in Molly’s Bar at 7.30pm with Bofin melodeon player John O’Halloran and Waterford banjo player Gerry Whelan and scatter of guests.

Throughout the week there will be a vibrant school’s programme with a great team featuring archaeologist Michael Gibbons; Kat Koch from the American Wilderness School and

German artist Hardy Langer. Children will be enthused, excited and put in touch with the magic of Conamara. ‘Forgotten Villages’ an installation by Hardy Langer, keep an eye out for this surprising and magical event.

The Bank Holiday weekend has some great music starting on Friday with Mat Kane and Gary Quinn in Molly’s Bar 9.45pm. Also, a session in the Renvyle Inn with Don Stiff, Liz Kane, Edel Fox and friends at 9.45pm.

The Conamara Walkabout starts on Saturday 10.00am. A unique walk in the company of poets, painters, scientists and musicians. Meeting at Letterfrack NS.

Trad session in The Bards Den 9.45pm with Clare musicians Conor Keane box and Maire Keane flute.

Sunday starts with sean nos workshops in Ellis Hall 4.00pm with the great Cunningham family followed by a session in Molly’s Bar at 5.00pm with Sean Tyrell and Fergus Feely mandola.

The annual Monastery Hostel Gig featuring Van Django, a Canadian quartet playing gypsy music, gig plus candlelit dinner 7.30pm. Contact Stephen 095 41132.

The final trad pub session The Bards Den 9.45pm with Doolin musicians Eoin O’Neill bouzouki and Quintan Cooper banjo will be joined by Maire and Conor Keane and friends.

Bank Holiday Monday will see Brendan Ridge and his team organising the annual Conamara Bog Week Soccer Tournament for primary schools. Visiting players are welcome. Letterfrack NS 11.00am.

An afternoon of launches will take place in Renvyle House Hotel. First up is the launch of The Naturalist View at 3.30pm, a publication in honor of recently deceased Tomas Burke who was a Shellfish Development Officer in the north-west Conamara area. This will be followed by launch of Tim’s Kitchen – a range of products produced by award winning Renvyle House Hotel chef Tim O’Sullivan. And finally, the launch of the Connemara Lamb Pie which we hope will become a signature dish for the development of a high quality local food industry. The Connemara Lamb Pie will be created by Tim O’Sullivan and a number of celebrated chef’s and celebrity guests will be on hand to taste the produce in what promises to be a fun occasion. Anybody who was at the launch of the Connemara Mussel Pie will know that they are on for an entertaining afternoon all wrapped in the fine music of Liz Kane and friends and sean nos dancing with Emma O’Sullivan.

For further information contact Leo Hallissey C.E.E.C.C., Letterfrack, Co. Galway. Phone No.s 095 41034/43443 085 1154629

email lfrack@eircom.net – website www.ceecc.org