THIS year’s BEO Ballymun Music Festival is shaping up to be the best one yet with a fantastic line-up of top acts.
Beginning on Tuesday, June 16 and running until Saturday, June 20, the festival features the legendary Altan who’ll take to the stage at Axis Ballymun at 8pm on June 20.
No Irish traditional band in the last dozen years has had a wider impact on audiences and music lovers throughout the world than Altan.
Hardly an overnight success, the band has been nearly 35 years together
??the longest running line-up of founding members in Irish music.
Altan showed they were ready to flex their musical boundaries when they started talking to Compass co-founder Garry West about the direction for their latest project.
With Garry in the producer’s chair and many good friends in the studio, Altan fused the traditional Irish music that they are known for, namely Donegal fiddling and Gaelic singing traditions, with American roots music, particularly that of the Appalachian bluegrass fiddle.
Other festival highlights include Ladlane, an Irish folk band from Dublin who have been performing together for over ten years.
Their music is composed of high energy, creatively arranged traditional tunes mixed with traditional and contemporary folk songs.
BEO Ballymun includes free lunchtime trad and ballad sessions in Axis café as well as workshops and pop-up music events in Setanta.
There’ll also be performances from Radharc Ceilteach and a Céilà Mór culminating in a grand finale concert with Altan on Saturday 20.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
MUSIC WORKSHOPS
A series of workshops takes place during the day on Saturday, June 20, at Setanta Clubhouse, Main Street, Ballymun.
?¢ Fiddle: Noreen Leech
10-11am (beginner)
?¬5
11.15am-1pm (advanced)
?¬10
?¢ Flute/Whistle:
Majella O’Beirne
10-11am (beginner)
?¬5
11.15am-1pm (advanced)
?¬10
?¢ Banjo: Kieran Hanrahan
2-4pm (advanced)
?¬10
?¢ Bodhran: Shane Butler
3-4pm (beginner)
?¬5
4.15-6pm (advanced)
?¬10
LUNCHTIME CRAIC
Free lunchtime sessions take place in axis cafe at 1pm daily throughout the festival. Bring your instrument or your voice, it’s open to all.
SETANTA SESSION MÃ?R
The big session takes place from 8.30pm on Thursday, June 16, at Setanta Clubhouse, Main Street, Ballymun.