Trad Fest to represent Ireland at the Interceltique Festival in France
www.templebartrad.com

TASCQ, in association with Diageo Ireland and with support from Fáilte Ireland and Culture Ireland, are taking Temple Bar TradFest, Dublin’s premiere celebration of traditional music and culture to the world’s largest Inter-Celtic Festival in L’orient, France. Running from July 21st to August 9th, the Interceltique Festival (founded in 1969) is one of the world’s largest gathering of Celtic cultures. Musicians travel from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain and as far away as Australia to play in the 10-day festival. The festival programme is awash with activity from spectacular pipe band performances, festival concerts, singing and dancing workshops and much more.

In January the Director of Festival Interceltique, Lisardo Lombardio, visited the Temple Bar TradFest, and one of the 2008 Tradfest acts, Paddy Keenan & Tommy O Sullivan, will this year perform at the festival in L’orient. The two festivals have since developed close ties and the Temple Bar TradFest has decided to strategically develop an on-the-ground presence in L’orient to help grow the overseas audience to Dublin for the Temple Bar TradFest in January.

The Temple Bar TradFest will run the official Irish pavilion for ten days during the Interceltique Festival. Live performances will take place daily on the stage and information on the Temple Bar TradFest and on Ireland will be distributed to visitors to the Irish pavilion. Each day Irish dancing workshops, pipe band performances, seisiúns and evening concerts will take place, as the area becomes a showcase for Irish music and Ireland.

“We are looking forward to visiting to Lorient to strengthen our links with other traditional music Festivals around the world and also to encourage Celtic music lovers to come to Temple Bar next year. 2009 TradFest was a great success and we are planning a super Festival for January 2010. We hope that after the shows the Irish performers taking part in the L’orient Festival will join us at the Irish Pavilion to continue the celebrations,” Festival Director, Martin Harte said. Temple Bar TradFest is Dublin’s premiere celebration of traditional Irish Music and Culture in the heart of the city. It runs over five days each January and the Temple Bar area comes alive with a series of festival concerts a rich line up of musical performances, showcase concerts, workshops, children’s events and much more in a celebration of traditional Irish music and culture. Temple Bar Tradfest is organized by TASCQ, sponsored by Bushmills, and supported by Dublin Tourism and Dublin City Council and the Arts Council.

TASCQ is an independent organisation, which represents traders in the Temple Bar area. Membership of TASCQ is voluntary, and now has over 90 members, representing a broad spectrum of businesses and organisations in Temple Bar. These include restaurateurs, hoteliers, publicans, retailers, cultural centres, charities, resident groups and service providers who operate in Dublin’s Cultural Quarter. These groups have come together to form TASCQ with the aim of promoting Temple Bar both at home and abroad.