Oireachtas Festival Letterkenny
Oireachtas Festival Letterkenny – “Is Gaeltacht ann féin é an tOireachtas a bhíonn ag taisteal na tíre bliain i ndiaidh bliana ag ceiliúradh ealaíona traidisiúnta na nGael i measc óg agus aosta.
Oireachtas na Samhna is cultural festival, nomadic in nature, as it travels the country, collecting friends and loyal followers in each new host town.
Letterkenny 30th October – 4th November 2012
Established in 1897 for the promotion of traditional Irish performing arts, the festival has at its core a series of competitions, at adult and junior levels, in the various art forms, including Sean-Nós singing, Sean-Nós dancing, storytelling, Agallamh Beirte (the ancient Irish art of dialogue in verse); Lúibíní (a witty dialogue in song) and much more.
The unique aspect of this festival is that it is conducted fully and completely through Irish!
Fringe events, which attract a substantial following also, include sessions, lectures, book & CD launches, workshops and exhibitions featuring various aspects of our national cultural heritage.”
Letterkenny Tourism groups say bed nights are now scarce in Letterkenny town centre from Thursday, November 1, until Sunday, November 4, due to the huge crowds expected for the Irish language extravaganza.
The festival will see more than 10,000 people descend on the town for a weekend of music, dancing and storytelling. There will be top sean-nós dancing, sean-nós singing and storytelling competitions.
The festival will take place in various venues in Letterkenny, including the Mount Errigal Hotel, the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the Aura Centre.
Oireachtas na Gaeilge director, Liam Ó Maolaodha, said he was delighted that interest in the festival is still growing.
The Oireachtas festival is going from strength to strength each year and the challenge now is to find towns with enough places to accommodate the huge crowd the festival gathers. We’re delighted to be back in Letterkenny again as the town is ideal for all the competitions and events that are held during the Oireachtas festival
One of the highlights of the weekend is the ‘Steip’ sean-nós dancing competition which will be broadcast live on TG4.
Other highlights include the Corn Uí Riada sean-nós singing competition held in memory of Sean Ó Riada where champions and challengers will sing their hearts out in a variety of regional styles to win this most prestigious title. All major organisations in the Irish language sector will attend the festival including Foras na Gaeilge, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Conradh na Gaeilge.