Altan to headline Féile Patrick Byrne Festival in Carrickmacross

Traditional music superstars Altan, will headline this year’s Féile Patrick Byrne festival, the traditional music festival held
in Carickmacross every Palm Sunday weekend and set to take place this year from 10-15 April.

Altan who will play at the Saint Louis Convent School Hall, on Saturday 12th April, have been the standard bearers for the rich and unique traditional musical heritage of Donegal. The band celebrates their 40th anniversary on the go this year. With a host of impressive collaborations including Dolly Parton, The Chieftains, Enya, Alison Krauss and Bonnie Raitt, among others and no less than 14 studio albums behind them, Altan can truly be considered one of the greatest Irish traditional groups of all time.

Support will be provided by a talented group of musicians who are visiting from, Carhaix, Breizh (Breton), region of France. Performing under the aegis of École De Musique Du Poher, will showcase the rich musical heritage of our fellow Celts, the Breton people.

Demand for tickets for the Altan concert is fierce so to avoid disappointment organisers say to please book in advance on: www.féilepatrickbyrne.ie

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St Finbar’s Church Concert- Ulster Says Ceol on Friday 11 April - A now well established feature of Féile Patrick Byrne, is the Friday night concert at St Finbarr’s Church of Ireland Church, Carrickmacross. This year will see a fair cross section of Ulster’s traditional music and song heritage.

Headlining the St. Finbar’s Church concert will be the renowned uilleann piper Séamus Ó Róchain, who will be undertaking a launch of his recent album celebrating the musical heritage of the Oriel region. Support for this this gig will be provided by the Casey Family, a five-piece family group who hail from South Armagh.

In addition, the concert will be opened by Cantairí Turas, from East Belfast. Cantairí Turas, are a cross-community Irish language singing group, who developed out of the groundbreaking Turas Project which has developed Irish language classes, nursery and Gaelic sports in the predominantly Protestant community of East Belfast.

Last year, the Turas Project enrolled no less than 678 mainly Protestant community members in Irish language classes. So people are urged to head along and "have a listen to some lovely singing in the Irish language and give a warm Carrickmacross welcome to Cantairí Turas, who are visiting here for the first time".

Monday 13 April will see an exciting event when musicians from Brittany will be joined by members of Comhaltas locally, to play a concert of Breton and Irish tunes. The concert takes place in the Shirley Arms Hotel, starting at 8pm and is free.

In addition, to the concerts listed above there will be the usual mix of concerts, sessions and workshops in musical instrument, singing and dancing, annual lecture and heritage walk. For more information please contact: www.féilepatrickbyrne.ie