First-ever Festival of Lughnasa offers an action-packed weekend in Glenties
The five-day festival which will run over the August Bank Holiday weekend will offer a programme of events influenced by Brian Friel and the traditions of Lughnasa
The first Festival of Lughnasa will take place in Glenties this August Bank Holiday.
The five-day festival offers a programme of events influenced by Brian Friel and the traditions of Lughnasa. It forms a part of the array of fundraisers taking place to benefit the Brian Friel Centre.
The Trust's ongoing vision is to completely restore and renovate The Laurels as the Dancing at Lughnasa House and to establish the main centre in the nearby Court House. Plans for the Court House include a vibrant, dynamic and creative interpretative visitor attraction, containing elements of the Friel archive - displays of photographs, letters and theatrical memorabilia, as well as Brian's reading library and a performance space. Glenties €500,000 conservation works to be completed by October
The festival takes place from Thursday, August 1 to Monday, August 5. At the Festival of Lughnasa, there will be live music in the pubs every night and displays at St Connell’s Museum and Heritage Centre.
As the festival kicks off on Thursday, there will be a Céilí at the Crossroads outside the Market Hall which starts at 8pm.
The following day, Dancing at Lughnasa will be performed by the Glenties Drama Group in the Market Hall at 8pm.
Saturday will see a guided Brian Friel Tour meeting at the Market Hall at 11am, followed by a kids fun storytime with Maura Logue from 11:30am. There will be a youth acting workshop with group games and short scripts at 1pm and Dancing and Lughnasa will be shown at 8pm in the market hall.
The programme of events on Sunday offers a Brian Friel Tour meeting at the Market Hall at 12:30pm, at 2pm the Children's Literacy Lughnasa Awards will be presented at Ballybeg house. Summer fun with Breezy will follow in Ballybeg house at 4pm where there will be baking stories and songs. At 8pm Mná Cróca na hÉireann, a 1930s-style American wake with music, dance, poetry and song will take place at the Market Hall.
On the final day, at 1pm a guided walk will take place, meeting at the town bridge. The tour stretches from Brian Friels to The Laurels to Lough Anna