Unique ‘trad bus’ among the events for inaugural Limerick festival

VISITORS to the city will have the opportunity to take a trip on a bus to rural Limerick to the backdrop of traditional music this weekend.

It’s all part of the inaugural All We Have Are Days festival, which is set to become a fixture in the local calendar every St Brigid’s weekend in February.

Some 30 events have been organised in 16 venues for the event, which starts this Friday, January 31. Among these are a ‘trad bus’, which will take people out to both Kilmallock and Newcastle West to the soundtrack of traditional Irish music.

PICTURES: Robert Burns night celebration at Dolan's pub

Festival co-organiser Rocky O’Shea said: “Our mayor John Moran is very keen over the next couple of years to develop the festival into the county. We think it’s a great idea too. It’d be lovely if you came down to Dublin to enjoy a gig on the Saturday night and then you’d end up in an amazing gig out in Kilmallock, Bruff or somewhere.”

The maiden voyage of the trad bus will take festival-goers to Houlihan’s Pub in Kilmallock and Whelan’s at Newcastle West.

En route, the trad musicians will play atop the double decker bus and then they’ll also play sets in both the pubs.

It all gets under way at 12pm, with the bus picking passengers up at Limerick’s Colbert station on Sunday.

“It’s a great concept. If people are coming to see stuff here, why not give them the chance to see the beautiful county we have,” Rocky added.

Thousands of people are due in Limerick for the first ever All We Have our Days festival which carries a tagline of: “A winter eekend with music at its heart.”

Just like Cork is famous for its Jazz Festival in the October Bank Holiday, Rocky is hoping Limerick becomes renowned for this festival in the first weekend of February.

“That was the goal when we sat down last year and we pitched it to Diageo, who are sponsoring it,” said Rocky, referring to the drinks firm which distributes Guinness among others.

“They have invested in Cork Jazz and have done for 46 years. You look at what that does to the Cork economy. It brings €45m, it brings 100,000 people into the city. And like us, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend. This is all about making Limerick the destination for St Brigid’s weekend,” added the publican.

There are some big names due at the festival, also being backed by Limerick Chamber plus Limerick City and County Council.

Oscar nominated actress Ruth Negga will join Mercury Music prize nominee Lisa Hannigan and author Sinead Gleeson will link up for a chat in the spectacular surrounds of St Mary’s Cathedral in the city centre this Friday, opening night.

Pubs across Limerick will be hosting a number of ‘pop-up’ events and it is this in particular that Rocky says he is looking forward to seeing.

“I am interested to see how these pop-ups go. We have Lisa Hannigan, Paul Noonan, Gemma Hayes and Niamh Regan all doing these little unique pop-ups with a series of Limerick artists. I’m keen to see how they work in the pubs,” he said.

“It’s hectic but it’s coming together,” the festival co-organiser added.

“There are a lot of balls in the air, but they are all starting to land where we want them to land.”

As well as the economic benefit of many tourists to Limerick, All We Have Our Days may also see an impact from some of the artists shopping locally.

That’s because each performer is being given a Limerick Gift Card loaded with cash to spend in the city. More festival

information is available at 061-556000.