Fèile Carraig Arts & Culture 2011
Both locals and tourist fled to Carrigart and Downings last weekend to enjoy workshops, exhibitions, music and a spectacular carnival parade at the very first Fèile Carraig Arts & Culture Mevagh festival. The festival began with a tea dance at the Mevagh Day Centre where locals gathered to dance and share stories of times gone by. Over the weekend hundreds of people visited the Hay Hall where local artists displayed their finest work for the duration of the festival, such a variety of artistic talent was seen and highlighted just some of the hidden talent that lies within the parish of Mevagh. Visitors also spent time in Café na Sraide and McNutts Coffee House looking at old photographs of Carrigart and Downings and reminiscing about how the villages used to look.
Despite the sunny afternoon, families came together in the Downings Bay Hotel on Friday to listen to Joe Brennan host a family storytelling session with an interactive twist allowing children to participate through sound and movement. On Friday evening a group of Ramblers braved the weather to enjoy a four mile looped walk in Downings and take in the stunning scenery.
With all workshops free of charge it was inevitable they would fill up quickly. Participants enjoyed creative writing, songwriting, feltmaking, digital photography and crafts workshops at Teach John Mickey Bans and the Mevagh Family Resource Centre. Workshops for both adults and children were held over Friday and Saturday in Teach John Mickey Ban, Carrigart, in both creative writing and songwriting, and had a full attendance with many responding by taking part in the Open Mic Night of Music Song and Poetry on Saturday night at Logue's Bar, Carrigart. The creative writing workshops which were led by poet, Denise Blake, inspired both young and young at heart to explore their creative writing ideas and to continue developing their skills through the local writing groups that will emerge as a result of the Festival. John McNutt's songwriting workshops also inspired budding singer-songwriters and they were encouraged to draw inspiration from their individual passions and observations in their response to life around them. The feltmaking workshops in Downings for children and adults were led by local artist Michelle Doherty who inspired participants to get creative with a pleathora of colours in making felt collages and designs to take home. Kathleen Allen’s children’s crafts workshop allowed children to explore their artistic painting skills, each leaving with their own painted slate for pride placing at home. Martin Fleming’s digital photography workshop overcame the confusion associated with the many functions on today’s digital cameras, his workshop clarified how to get the best from a camera and similarly inspired budding photographers to pursue their hidden talents.
On Saturday talented artists took to the streets of Carrigart with crafts stalls displaying and selling their fine craftsmanship’s to eager crowds who also enjoyed traditional music sessions on the main street. Other musical highlights included Mirenda Rosenberg and Red Light Inferno who both played on the festival main stages to entertain the evening crowds.
For five hours non-stop on Saturday night Logue's Bar in Carrigart offered a platform for local and visiting performers to share their talent with a packed and enthusiastic audience through an Open Mic of Music, Song and Poetry. It was hosted by John McNutt and Margaret Rooney and throughout the night the John McNutt Band which included Deirdre and Sarah Cullen, kept the night flowing with their incredible music. It was a night that will be talked about for many months to come.
Incorporating the big Donegal Semi Final match, selected bars and hotels screened the 1992 All Ireland Final on Sunday to add to the build up on the day. While the result was not great, there was no time for moping, as the Inishowen Carnival Group arrived in unison with the final whistle at Croke Park. Both locals and tourists participated in what could be called the most colourful and creative carnival parade Mevagh has ever seen. Themed ‘zoo’, children and adults dressed up as zebras, tigers, giraffes and birds to name but a few, before taking to Carrigart Main Street to bring a spectacular close to Fèile Carraig Arts & Culture 2011 in front of hundreds of people who lined the streets in awe.
The festival organisers quite literally jumped with joy on Sunday evening, celebrating what they called ‘an extremely successful first year of the festival’. Chairperson Maggie Doherty commented ‘we couldn’t have asked for anything more; after a year of hard work Mevagh finally enjoyed a fantastic cultural festival which sought out to promote local talent and drive business into our area-both of the aims have been fulfilled this weekend. But it doesn’t end here; we’re going to get started on Fèile Carraig Arts & Culture 2012 straight away’!
The festival has been described by locals as a completely different type of festival and one which inspired them to develop their creative and artistic skills. A raffle draw will take place in the Carrigart Hotel on Saturday 3rd September at 10pm where one lucky winner will win a weekend for two in a deluxe room at The Wyatt Hotel in Westport. Raffle lines are still available to purchase in local stores and bars and all proceeds will go towards Fèile Carraig Arts & Culture 2012.
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