All aboard for Shanty Festival
Rosses Point is hosting its Third International Shanty and Seafaring Festival from June 15-17 2012. The launch of the Festival took place on Thursday last, May 31 in the Yeats County Hotel, Rosses Point.
From leftl; Gill Hewitt, Ann Joyce, Fr Gerry Dolan, Matt Carter, Susie Petersen (Mayor of RosesPoint), Willie Murphy (Chairperson Festival Committee), Noelle Cawley (Failte Ireland), Michael Carty (County Council).
“The festival is a celebration of the long maritime tradition of Rosses Point and Sligo area”, stated Willie Murphy, chairperson of the festival committee.
“Shanties were working songs used on board sailing ships. The songs were mostly sung when the job involved several crew members working in rhythm together. With many international and local groups performing “songs of the sea” this festival helps to preserve the seafaring tradition here.”
The festival is run in aid of the RNLI which provides a 24 hour lifeboat search and rescue service.
“Proceeds from ‘Songs for the Lifeboat’ concert in the Church of Ireland on Friday night, June 15 and the main Festival Concert in the Yeats Country Hotel on Saturday 16 will go to the RNLI,” added Mr. Murphy.
There will be artists from seven different countries performing at this year’s event namely, England, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Germany, Netherlands and Spain. There will be free performances in several venues.
Last Friday night, “Seascapes”, the maritime programme on RTE radio 1, broadcast an interesting piece on the festival: The story of the Norwegian Barque ‘Narayana’, wrecked on the back of Coney Island in the mid 1800’s and its connection to the Norwegian group Riggerloftets who are performing at this year’s festival. The programme is still available to via the RTE website (www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes)
Category: Entertainment
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