PICTURES: Popular Limerick arts festival officially launched

A RIVER of colour and the sound of pipes and drums will signal the start of this year’s Éigse Michael Hartnett, the literary and arts festival which will run from October 1 to 4 in Newcastle West.

Over four days and nights, the town that was home to and helped shape the late poet Michael Hartnett, will play host to a wide range of talented poets, writers, musicians, singers and artists in a packed programme of events.

One of the headline events for this year’s festival will be the opening ceremony, beginning with the EU Colours Parade and followed by a talent-packed Gala Concert.

These free events are part of a nationwide cultural programme to mark Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and are supported by the Department of Culture, Communication and Sport.

The parade, featuring all the colours of the EU countries, will involve scores of drumming children as well as the Newcastle West and District Pipe Band while the Gala Concert, at the Longcourt House Hotel, promises to be a “lively affair” with a mix of music, song and dance.

Friday’s events will include a coffee-morning reading with poets Pat Boran and Annemarie Ní Churreáin, winners of this year’s Michael Hartnett Award, a lunch event with the ukelele-playing Limerick Yukealadies and poet Vivienne McKechnie and a screening of Báite, the Irish-language film starring Limerick actress Eleanor O’Brien.

Saturday’s programme will see writer Hugo Hamilton, author of The Speckled People, speak on writing, identity and the idea of home in the Michael Hartnett Memorial Lecture, followed by renowned uilleann piper Louise Mulcahy from Abbeyfeale telling the story of Limerick’s piping women.

Sunday will see a very special event take place when Michael Hartnett’s son Niall will be joined by longtime friends of Michael, writer Brighid McLaughlin and poet Tony Curtis for “Michael and Me”, a warm and insightful take on Michael, man and poet.

The programme also includes the award-winning writers Donal Ryan and Hugh Hamilton as well as crime-writer Andrea Mara.

This year’s programme was launched at a reception in Newcastle West by Cllr Liam Galvin, Cathaoirleach of the Newcastle West Municipal District who praised the commitment of the voluntary committee for keeping the festival alive.

For more information on the literary and arts festival, go to www.eigsemichaelhartnett.ie.