The 46th Clifden Arts Fes;val – September 13-24, 2023
Celebrating the Music of What Happens
Returning for a 46th instalment, Clifden Arts Fes;val is set to embrace those special unplanned moments that Seamus Heaney called “the music of what happens”.
Ireland’s longest-running community arts fes5val will light up venues across the region with a programme that displays the community-led spirit and diversity of inspira5on that President Michael D Higgins hailed as a “unique and outstanding experience”.
And as ever, an exci5ng array of cultural luminaries have accepted the invita5on of fes5val linchpin Brendan Flynn, the one5me schoolmaster who first envisaged this annual celebra5on of art, music and illumina5on on the doorstep of his community.
‘We’re overjoyed to be welcoming back to Connemara the great Christy Moore and his world-famous treasury of songs for what promises to be a very special performance. There’s also a chance to see three of our greatest singer-songwriters – Lisa Hannigan, Paul Noonan, and Gemma Hayes – perform together in what is one of the most talked-about collabora5ons of recent years’ said Des Lally, Fes5val Co- Ordinator. Ireland’s eminent crooner and a consummate showman, Jack L live has long been a by-word for a brilliant night out, as Clifden is about to discover.
Classical music lovers, meanwhile, will be well served with visits by the Irish Chamber Orchestra and West Ocean String Quartet. Those in search of something altogether different can expect to chart new ground in the company of Out of the Ordinary, an award-winning virtual-reality community experience from Irish Na5onal Opera. And then there’s Graffi; Classics, whose singular blend of strings and surprises is a must for anyone looking to let off some steam.
Clifden’s tradi5on of nurturing expansive conversa5on con5nues with a programme that includes historian Diarmaid Ferriter, broadcaster and poli5cal historian David McCullagh, and the inimitable hotelier and TV personality Francis Brennan. Clifden will also welcome the poet, Oxford academic, and close friend of Seamus Heaney, Prof Bernard O’Donoghue.
Renowned geriatrician Prof Rose Anne Kenny will share her experiences from the medical frontlines, while this year’s annual John Moriarty Memorial Lecture will be given by celebrated poet and Aosdána member Mary O’Malley. A founding director of the world-renowned prac5ce A2, Peter Carroll is one of the most visionary architects of his genera5on and no stranger to Connemara either. Expect an absorbing and enlightening conversa5on on his Clifden Arts Fes5val debut.
Rounding off this and much more will be a suitably spectacular finale of magic, light, and performance from landscape theatre company LUXE.
“A unique and outstanding experience… a ‘meitheal’ between ar=sts and audience forged on a profound respect for community and belonging”
President Michael D Higgins
For all press and media inquiries, contact Pam Finn – hello@prpam.ie / 087 9004145 See www.clifdenartsfes’val.ie for news and full programme.
