3 July 1997 Edition
Deich mBliain!
Ten years of Feile an Phobail for a community which decided not to sob but to sing
By Mick Naughton.
``This August come dancing and singing and revelling in the largest community festival in Ireland. Whether you are from Buenos Aires or the Bronx, Ballymena or Ballyjamesduff, whether you ceili, rock or reggae, speak Irish, Euskadi, Cockney or Quechua, be in West Belfast!''
So goes the welcome for the 10th West Belfast Feile, prompting one wag to tag on Drumcree and Dunloy to that `failte', but with the Garvaghy Road people holding their own Feile na mBoithre and Dunloy hurlers still practising for the next all-Ireland, those people probably have their hands full and probably won't be travelling too far, even to West Belfast - just for the moment.
At last Monday's launch in Conway Education Centre both Feile chair, Ciaran Quinn and Caitriona Ruane, Director, warmly welcomed the wide spectrum of groups and individuals who have made the whole thing go with such a bang for its ten year history.
A special welcome was laid out for visiting VIPs, New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi and his son who stood chatting with Portadown's new independent councillor, Breandan MacCionnaith, there to receive a beautiful painting from Irish aritist Robert Ballagh for the Garvaghy Road Festival this coming Sunday 6 July.
Oscar-nominated screen and stage actor, and north Belfast born Stephen Rea, put this cheoil agus craic into some sort of context when he said, ``The vibrancy of the festival emanates more from the community itself, rather than something imported by visiting artists and practioners. Other festivals, invented by highbrows and connected to the academic or commercial worlds lack the feast-like abandon which West Belfast naturally produces.''
Stephen's comment reflects Gerry Adams 1988 initiative when he pulled together community activists at a formative meeting. That vision has this year witnessed similar festivals planned for loyalist heartlands such as Sandy Row. That's alright though, there's no copyright on sound ideas.
The long list of attractions this year ranges from Dickie Rock to Frances Black, and from the prisoners' day to the PJ McGrory Lecture where Albert Reynolds will present the third annual talk. Sinn Fein councillor Sean McKnight has already been spotted with Dickie's tickets in his pocket...now, just where did you get those, Sean, and are you old enough to go?
The three themes for Feile 97 are; 10 years of Feile, Celebrating Our Diverse Cultures, and Working Together Against Racism. The special theme for the POWs is our Irish Prisoners in England.
Christy Moore will be appearing, as will Kieran Goss and the stage premiere of the play `Bin Lids' - those items are sadly a thing of the past now with the spread of plastic wheelie bins. (which must have been introduced as a counter-insurgency measure because they are totally useless for warning of British dawn raids).
But it wasn't all grown-ups on Monday as during the year a competition was held for budding artists to design a cover for the programme, posters and T-shirts. Over 108 entries from our younger citizens arrived with young Paul Heatley winning the programme and poster, and Connor O'Neill receiving a special award from his MP Gerry Adams for a cracker of a T-shirt design. Connor has fought a serious illness recently and as that man Adams held him up to the microphone his `Go raibh maith agat' was well felt.
This Feile an Phobail has developed into an all year round programme with a very active management committee comprising five full time workers, a community work programme and 47 local committees. Drama, Eigse an Phobail, Artists Collective, Og Eigse, Film Festival, Failte Go Feile FM Radio Station, St Patrick's Day events, International Womens Day, all combine for the finale of the packed August Feile.
Justly proud of the past year's award of Feile's premier previous drama, `Just A Prisoners Wife' won the Best Partnership award at Belfast City Council Arts Awards and as they said at the time to the futile fulminations of bare faced Sammy Wilson, they were ``equally proud to accept our award in Irish''.
Gerry Adams spoke the usual spot-on words mingling among the packed hall with an excited Connor O'Neill in front of ``my MP'', but it was author and screenwriter Shane Connaughton's words which encapsulated the day's emotions, which travelled the relatively short distance from the Falls to the Garvaghy Road:
``The one festival with real meaning. A celebration of a place by a people who know the political abyss and have decided not to sob but to sing. Here's to the next 10 years, and add a nought to that!''
Feile an Phobail, West Belfast, runs from 3-10 August and further information can be acheived by phoning Teach na Feile, 473 Falls Road at Belfast 313440.
By Mick Naughton.
``This August come dancing and singing and revelling in the largest community festival in Ireland. Whether you are from Buenos Aires or the Bronx, Ballymena or Ballyjamesduff, whether you ceili, rock or reggae, speak Irish, Euskadi, Cockney or Quechua, be in West Belfast!''
So goes the welcome for the 10th West Belfast Feile, prompting one wag to tag on Drumcree and Dunloy to that `failte', but with the Garvaghy Road people holding their own Feile na mBoithre and Dunloy hurlers still practising for the next all-Ireland, those people probably have their hands full and probably won't be travelling too far, even to West Belfast - just for the moment.
At last Monday's launch in Conway Education Centre both Feile chair, Ciaran Quinn and Caitriona Ruane, Director, warmly welcomed the wide spectrum of groups and individuals who have made the whole thing go with such a bang for its ten year history.
A special welcome was laid out for visiting VIPs, New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi and his son who stood chatting with Portadown's new independent councillor, Breandan MacCionnaith, there to receive a beautiful painting from Irish aritist Robert Ballagh for the Garvaghy Road Festival this coming Sunday 6 July.
Oscar-nominated screen and stage actor, and north Belfast born Stephen Rea, put this cheoil agus craic into some sort of context when he said, ``The vibrancy of the festival emanates more from the community itself, rather than something imported by visiting artists and practioners. Other festivals, invented by highbrows and connected to the academic or commercial worlds lack the feast-like abandon which West Belfast naturally produces.''
Stephen's comment reflects Gerry Adams 1988 initiative when he pulled together community activists at a formative meeting. That vision has this year witnessed similar festivals planned for loyalist heartlands such as Sandy Row. That's alright though, there's no copyright on sound ideas.
The long list of attractions this year ranges from Dickie Rock to Frances Black, and from the prisoners' day to the PJ McGrory Lecture where Albert Reynolds will present the third annual talk. Sinn Fein councillor Sean McKnight has already been spotted with Dickie's tickets in his pocket...now, just where did you get those, Sean, and are you old enough to go?
The three themes for Feile 97 are; 10 years of Feile, Celebrating Our Diverse Cultures, and Working Together Against Racism. The special theme for the POWs is our Irish Prisoners in England.
Christy Moore will be appearing, as will Kieran Goss and the stage premiere of the play `Bin Lids' - those items are sadly a thing of the past now with the spread of plastic wheelie bins. (which must have been introduced as a counter-insurgency measure because they are totally useless for warning of British dawn raids).
But it wasn't all grown-ups on Monday as during the year a competition was held for budding artists to design a cover for the programme, posters and T-shirts. Over 108 entries from our younger citizens arrived with young Paul Heatley winning the programme and poster, and Connor O'Neill receiving a special award from his MP Gerry Adams for a cracker of a T-shirt design. Connor has fought a serious illness recently and as that man Adams held him up to the microphone his `Go raibh maith agat' was well felt.
This Feile an Phobail has developed into an all year round programme with a very active management committee comprising five full time workers, a community work programme and 47 local committees. Drama, Eigse an Phobail, Artists Collective, Og Eigse, Film Festival, Failte Go Feile FM Radio Station, St Patrick's Day events, International Womens Day, all combine for the finale of the packed August Feile.
Justly proud of the past year's award of Feile's premier previous drama, `Just A Prisoners Wife' won the Best Partnership award at Belfast City Council Arts Awards and as they said at the time to the futile fulminations of bare faced Sammy Wilson, they were ``equally proud to accept our award in Irish''.
Gerry Adams spoke the usual spot-on words mingling among the packed hall with an excited Connor O'Neill in front of ``my MP'', but it was author and screenwriter Shane Connaughton's words which encapsulated the day's emotions, which travelled the relatively short distance from the Falls to the Garvaghy Road:
``The one festival with real meaning. A celebration of a place by a people who know the political abyss and have decided not to sob but to sing. Here's to the next 10 years, and add a nought to that!''
Feile an Phobail, West Belfast, runs from 3-10 August and further information can be acheived by phoning Teach na Feile, 473 Falls Road at Belfast 313440.