8 September 2005 Edition

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Havana weekend in the Hills of Donegal

The Irish-based Cuba Support Group plan to hold a 'Camp Havana' weekend in Gleann Cholmcille in a Gaeltacht area of Southwest Donegal from 16-18 September. This weekend is being jointly hosted by the local Sinn Féin cumann in Gleann Cholmcille as part of Sinn Féin's support for participative tourism.

There will be a series of events including a film on the Miami 5, a discussion on the Miami 5, folk/trad sessions, ballad sessions, salsa music, live rock music, hillwalking and a visit to the local folk museum.

The main focus of the weekend is to highlight the case of the unjust treatment of the Miami 5 in particular. It will also also highlight Cuba's positive role in the world, which is the main remit of the Cuba Support Group. Bill O'Brien, the organiser of the weekend, said: "It is very important to bring international pressure to bear upon the Americans as regards the issue of the Miami 5 and this weekend is part of the process of doing this."

A programme for a series of three-day events is planned to take place during the weekend, consisting of a Irish folk/trad session and registration on the Friday night. For Saturday, two kinds of hillwalks will take place — an intermediate hillwalk lasting three-four hours and an advanced hillwalk lasting seven-eight hours. At 2pm a ballad session will be held in the Central Bar. After dinner at 6pm the main business of the weekend will be the Miami 5 film followed by a discussion in the Glencolmcille Hotel. Later on there will be an Ireland/Cuba solidarity night with salsa music, Irish trad music and a rock band at the same venue.

On the Sunday morning there will be a tour of Glencolmcille ending at the Folk Village Museum, with breakfast or lunch available. At 2pm there will be farewell drinks in the Glen Head Tavern before the buses leave at 3pm.

McGeehan's Buses will provide the transport for the weekend for those who wish to travel from Dublin and these will leave for Gleann Cholmcille from Cassidy's Hotel at Parnell Square East at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm. The cost of bus travel is €26 return. Accommodation, food and drink will be covered individually by the participants. For those seeking accommodation, phone Bill O'Brien at 087-2939466.


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland