31st October – 2nd November, 2008

www.carlingfordbeds.com
This year sees the second Irish American Festival taking place in Carlingford, County Louth. Carlingford which is the 2008 Irish winner of the European Destination of Excellence Award, provides a stunning backdrop to this new cultural event.

The festival which examines the cultural links between Ireland and the Americas contains a number of highlights including the following:
Friday 31st October 2008: sees the Festival Launch starting at 7.30pm in the Fusion Room, Foy Centre Carlingford. All are welcome. Guest speaker on the night will be Micheal Doyle who will give a Talk on: “The Irish at Fredericksberg!” one of the decisive battles of the American Civil War at which Irish battalions on both the Union and Confederate sides fought each other. The talk will be interwoven with appropriate songs and tunes from the era.
Saturday 1st November: sees a children’s art workshop in which a number of images symbolic of the role of the Irish in the Americas will be developed into an original art piece and displayed permanently in Carlingford. Also taking place on Saturday there will be a “Roots of American Country Dance Workshop with Irish Set, Ulster Scots & American Line displays and workshop instruction. Saturday evening sees a marvelous concert at new local venue Carlingford Sailing Club, “From the Green Groves of Erin To the Blue Grass of Kentucky” with The Townland Band, plus support, followed by a mighty session of music from Irish and American folk traditions at the same venue. Concert tickets are available on the door or in advance at ?10/?8 (concessions).
Sunday 2nd November: sees a cultural walk (weather permitting), taking in sites of local cultural importance, as well as the monument to one of Carlingford’s most famous emigrants to the Americas, D’arcy Magee. A lunch-time session will see performers singing and playing tunes from the Irish and American folk traditions in Taaffe’s Castle.
Carlingford Irish American Festival is presented by local community based organisation Carlingford Community Development in association with Carlingford & Cooley Peninsula Tourism Association and has been generously supported by both the Arts Council and Louth County Council Arts Service.
For Further details contact the Festival Office at:
The Foy Centre, Dundalk St, Carlingford or on the Festival Hotline 00353 (0) 42 93 83624 or log on to www.carlingfordbeds.com or www.irishmusicmagazine.com for updates.