Ranelagh to go green for annual arts festival

RANELAGH is going green for the annual arts festival that kicks off on Friday, September 12.

The theme of the 2014 Ranelagh Arts Festival will be

‘Greening’ to reflect the fact that hundreds of plants will find their way into pubs, onto walls, nestled in sacks and growing out of tubs throughout the village.

An outdoor garden will be created in the TriAngle, bonsai trees will create another garden in the arts centre and locals will open their private gardens to share their unseen treasures.

An outdoor visual arts project will see reclaimed doors transformed into different types of imaginary portals by local artists and displayed at a disused site in Ranelagh Village.

Meanwhile, walking and cycling tours around green and interesting spaces will also explore the artistic and historic culture of the area.

There will be a celebration of local artists, singers and actors with performances by Emilie Conway, The Ranelagh Singers and the Ranelagh Players, and a world premier by local playwright Miriam Gallagher.

The festival will even incorporate talents from farther afield with the exhibition of work by several renowned artists from Ireland and Italy in Incontri Europei European Meetings, the festival’s main visual arts event.

“We are honoured by the return of internationally known musician Donal Lunny, who will be joined by Leitrim singer Eleanor Shanley and fiddle virtuoso Paddy Glackin,

? one of the organisers said.

“We welcome the fiddle player Anna Falkenau from Galway who will be launching her new CD

‘Féileacán na Saoirse’ (The Butterfly of Freedom). And we are privileged that Johnny Fean and Stephen Travers have agreed to take part in our festival too.

“The involvement of Anthony Cronin, Frank McGuinness and Gabriel Rosenstock in this year’s festival blends the best of local with the very best of our national talents.

“It is going to be an interesting few weeks celebrating this decade long festival with nationally important figures in the intimacy of our own village.

?

The festival ends on a high note on Sunday 28 with Ranelagh Day in Ranelagh Gardens with fun activities to keep everyone entertained.