Scariff Harbour Festival to return this August Bank Holiday weekend
Festival runs from Thursday August 1 until Sunday August 4
The Scariff Harbour Festival returns to east Clare for the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The annual Scariff Harbour Festival was launched in 2003 with the aim of showcasing the many attractions and amenities accessible from Scariff, including Lough Derg, the inland waterways and the east Clare countryside.
The festival kicks off with An Evening with The Celtic Tenors on Thursday, August 1, with the world-renowned tenors set to perform beautiful renditions of Celtic songs, old classics, capellas and popular contemporary songs, at Sacred Heart Church. (Tickets €25 with limited space; early booking advised).
The official launch of the festival will take place on Friday, August 2, at the Edna O’Brien library, Scariff by the new mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council, Lilian Seenoi-Barr, who is also set to be honoured at a civic ceremony by Killaloe Municipal District.
Highlights across the weekend include kayaking sessions with East Clare Paddlers, musical entertainment on Saturday 3rd August at 5.30pm on the main stage from local musicians Seamus Bugler (accordion), Ronan Kennedy (flute), Eimear Lernihan (piano and flute) and Sarah Wiley (vocals) and more.
A unique feature of the August Bank Holiday Scariff Harbour Festival will draw special attention to the story of the famine in east Clare. A three-hour 6km guided tour, focusing on the catastrophic human events of the mid-nineteenth century, will highlight the often-unnoticed landmarks in and around the harbour village.
To complement the Famine Walk, historian and genealogist, Jane Halloran Ryan will tell us why Drewsborough is called Drewsborough, why the road to Flagmount is known locally as the Norbury Line and will relate stories of colonels and doctors in Moynoe.
Her talk at the Edna O’Brien Library on Saturday 3rd will focus on the Landlords and Landowners of East Clare and their influence on the locality and the legacy they left.
Pre-booking is required for genealogy sessions and Bus Tour of the Famine Way.
Festival wristbands are now on sale online or at O’Meara’s totalhealth Pharmacy in Scariff.
Wristbands are priced at €10 for adults (18 years plus) and €5 for juveniles (17 years and younger).
For the full list of events see the festival programme at www.scariffharbourfestival.ie
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