Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan
LIVELY concerts, rousing céilís and impromptu sessions will be found in every every nook and cranny of the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney during the eagerly-awaited 21st Gathering Traditional Festival which will commence on Wednesday, February 26 and continue right through to Sunday, March 1.
The five-day and five-night event attracts music fans from the US, Britain, France, Germany and all over Ireland who celebrate the best of trad and the great Irish tradition of music, song and dance.
The 2020 concert line-up includes Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Triona, and Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, Kevin Burke, Backwest, The Bonnymen, Jackie Daly, Matt Cannich and Paul De Grae.
The céilís – a firm favourite – return to the Gleneagle ballroom and will feature acts of the calibre of Neily O’Connor, Uí Bhriain, Shandrum Céilí Band, Striolán Céilí Band and Johnny Reidy
This year’s traditional singers’ concert will feature singers from Cork and Kerry including Róisín Ryan, Christy Cronin, Pat Sullivan, Marian and Kathleen McCann, Tom McKenna, Ciara O’Shea, Jim Walsh, Liam Randles, Richie Fitzgerald and Gerry Kelliher
The Gathering Festival will play host to numerous music and dance workshops throughout the festival and they will help players improve their skills with some of the best tutors around. This includes advanced set dancing workshops and instrument workshops in fiddle with Kevin Burke and accordion with Derek Hickey
On Sunday, March 1 the Speks present a lively show of nursery rhymes and sing-along songs set to acoustic Irish music which will have adults and kids, aged from two to 92, jumping in their seats. Their hand-clapping, toe-tapping, hearty-laughing show is all about life on Glasses Island – a magical island off the coast of Clare where everybody wears glasses.
The festival’s Schools Outreach Programme began over 10 years ago and the project has since become one of the most popular elements of The Gathering Festival. Every year a group of musicians visits a selection of national schools in the Killarney area, over four days, and pupils and teachers are treated to a feast of music and dance giving them a very unique insight into their culture and heritage in a fun and interactive way.
The Gathering Traditional Festival is a lively weekend of traditional music and dance which celebrates the rich culture and diversity of traditional Irish music and dance and it is the perfect weekend for hardcore trad fans and also for anyone who enjoys traditional music and culture or just having the craic.
Festival passes cost just €61.65 and that includes entry to all concerts and céilís. Tickets to individual concerts and céilís are also available and range from €10 to €25. For more information visit www.thegathering.ie. For those planning to travel to the festival from outside Killarney, accommodation packages available from the Gleneagle Hotel: at www.gleneaglehotel.com.
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