Image credit: Nava
Unfortunately, due to covid-19 related illness, our in conversation event with Marguerite Penrose will no longer take place this Friday. We hope to reschedule to a later time this Autumn. All ticket-holders will be notified.
Image credit: Nava
Unfortunately, due to covid-19 related illness, SÍOMHA will no longer be performing this Thursday as a part of her double bill with Navá. Thankfully, the gig will still be going ahead with Navá performing a longer set with a special guest support act.
Navá's musical tapestry is made up of the musical colours of Irish and Persian folk music’s. The instrumental marriage that ensues is something delicious!
Thurs 7 July, 8pm
Strong Women Science at Cairde in the Park
It was an incredible opening weekend to our 2022 festival; below you will find a some mini-galleries from the first events.
Visual Art Trail Map
Following on from its success in 2021, a second iteration of the Visual Artist Trail, features a selection of six artists, who were asked to explore themes of how our surroundings can influence our practice.
Works from Sligo based BaHa collective, Cecilia Danell, Fiona Harrington, Harry Walsh Foreman, Anna Spearman and Michael Wann have been stationed in spaces around Sligo Town Centre.
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival gratefully acknowledges Sligo Credit Union, DNG Flanagan Ford, Michael Feehily, Mulreaney Guckian Opticians, Mark Walsh and Quayside Shopping Centre for their support.
Fanzini Production’s Spailp
This year families can look forward to an expanded Cairde in the Park, our much loved event formerly known as Park Fest which will take place over Saturday July 2nd from 2 to 5pm and on Sunday July 3rd from 1 to 7pm with music, circus, storytelling and magic. Events featured at Cairde in the Park include the Fanzini Production’s Spailp, The Barcelo Brothers, Strong Women Science, Dr. Procter’s magic and more!
2 – 2.30pm
Family yoga with Louise Waters
2 - 3pm & 4 - 5pm
Fanzini Productions ‘Spailp’
“5 minutes of delight, sheer joy and wonder” A short show performed multiple times over the day between these times
2pm
Monsters and Things
Puppet Show with Jay Ryan
3 – 4.30pm
Teenage Open Mic with MC Senna O’Hara
3.30pm
Storytelling with Jan Ryan
4.15pm
Yoga Rhythm Session for Teenagers
with Blaithin Sweeney, Your Well Being Warrior
All Day
Cairde Quilt
Cairde Young Curators return to present 'Cairde Quilt' with artist Lorna Watkins Members of the public are invited to work with Lorna - Bring along a square of fabric and stitch together a patchwork banner! Lorna and CYC will also have an upcycle station so bring along old clothes you would like to transform.
Wellness
1.15 - 1.45pm
Family yoga with Louise Waters
2 - 2.30pm
Breath work for young adults + adults with Aisling Keane
3pm - 3.15pm
Mindfulness and storytelling for children with Aisling Keane
4.30 - 5pm
Sound Bath for all ages with Polly Martins
5.30 - 6pm
Sound Bath for adults with Polly Martins
Music
1.45 pm
Rodney Lancashire + Claudia Schwab
3pm
The Barcelo Brothers
5.15pm
Rainbow Starlight
All Day
DJ Cool C and DJ Doolittle throughout the day
Circus & Performance
2 - 3pm / 3.30 – 4pm / 5 - 6pm
Fanzini Productions Spailp
“5 minutes of delight, sheer joy and wonder” A short show performed multiple times over the day between these times
2pm & 3pm
Storytelling with Wayne O’Connor
2 - 5pm
Dr. Procter’s Walk about Magic
4pm
Strong Women Science
4.45pm
Strong Women Science Workshop
All Day
Cairde Quilt
Cairde Young Curators return to present 'Cairde Quilt' with artist Lorna Watkins Members of the public are invited to work with Lorna - Bring along a square of fabric and stitch together a patchwork banner! Lorna and CYC will also have an upcycle station so bring along old clothes you would like to transform.
Growler aka Dee Mulrooney
We’ve put together a rundown of what's selling out or selling fast to help with your your Cairde Sligo Arts Festival 2022 planning. We’ll be updating this page with the latest box office new -to make sure you don’t miss out on any of these hot tickets!
SOLD OUT
Unearth
Novel Writing: Getting Started - Writing Workshop with Bernie McGill
The Short Story Writer’s Starter Kit - Writing Workshop with Jan Carson
SELLING OUT
These events and performances are down to their last few tickets:
Growler @ The Factory Performance Space | Book Now
The Libravian (4:30pm show) | Book Now
Derek Gripper Guitar workshop | Book Now
Junk Ensemble | Book Now
SELLING FAST
Schwab, Tsumbu & Cagney | Book Now
Poor Creature | Book Now
The Libravian (4:30pm show) | Book Now
Anna Mieke @ Juniper Barn | Book Now
Nina Hynes | Book Now
Still Floating (Tues 5 Jul show) | Book Now
Kila | Book Now
SWARM - Breda Larkin, Cian Kinsella Deirdre Griffin.
A thrilling mix of events with younger audiences in mind features brightly in this year’s Cairde Sligo Arts Festival programme, which runs from 1 - 10 July. Daring circus acts, tall tales and silly sketches will bring the fun and wonder back to Sligo town and locations across the county.
The beautiful surrounds of Sligo’s Peace Park will once again be the setting for a two-day Cairde in the Park (formerly Park Fest) over Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd July. This immersive experience promises a feast of fun with a packed programme featuring live music, circus, theatre, dance, family yoga, DJ’s, interactive play and delicious locally sourced food. Sligo’s favourite family day out promises plenty of colour with acts such as Fanzini Production’s Spailp, Strong Women Science, Dr. Procter’s walkabout magic and much more.
In SWARM, circus performer Cian Kinsella (Lords of Strut), stand-up Breda Larkin and dancer Deirdre Griffin have decided to stop climate change... with theatre! Specifically their very own version of the Irish Mythological Cycle. Suitable for families & fun loving people of all ages, dancing cows, grumpy trees and magic potions made out of terrible ideas by greedy children all feature in this very silly show by very silly people about very important things. SWARM will take place on Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th July at Woodville Farm and Sligo Folk Park.
This year’s festival also sees the return of more madcap adventures with Cycle Circus, an accessible outdoor show for all the family which will visit Rathcormack National School, Sligo Folk Park, Mercy College Sligo, Ballymote Community Parks and Skreen Dromard Community Centre. From the team at Tumble Circus, the show is all human, high energy and loads of craic, celebrating circus, the human body and the bicycle. Cycle Circus runs from Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th July.
Brú Theatre’s The Libravian. Photo credit Anita Murphy
The Libravian, celebrates brilliant books and diverse stories through big hearted physical comedy. Join Lynn, a very lovable ‘libravian’ who chats and lip syncs their way through their favourite Irish books - all exploring the theme of bravery. This free show, suitable from ages 6+, aptly takes place at Sligo Central Library with two shows on Thursday 7th July. Booking is essential due to limited capacity.
Rounding off the family strand is Lullaby Babies, a gorgeous musical experience for babies.. Mother-daughter duo Amy and Senna O’Hara will delight and enchant babies and young children as they deliver a soothing and delightful experience, taking place at Hawk’s Well Theatre with two shows on Saturday 9th July.
Fanzini Production’s Spail, performing at Cairde in the Park.
Stephanie Dufresne, performer in Crossing Skin, a new Festival Commission by award winning dance innovators Junk Ensemble. Photo by Luca Trufarelli
Making a welcome return to venues, streets and unusual locations across the county of Sligo, Cairde Sligo Arts Festival is delighted to unveil details of this year’s programme. With a line-up featuring new and familiar faces, the 10 day festival edition, taking place from 1 to 10 July, is a fully live affair featuring new work, exclusive commissions and events spanning music, theatre, dance, visual art, street theatre and more.
The festival will ignite with a specially commissioned live dance work from award winning dance-theatre innovators Junk Ensemble over the opening weekend from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd July. Crossing Skin examines the myth of the selkie and our conflicted connection to the sea. Taking place at The Factory Performance Space, this intimate performance combines dance, original sound score and a stunning visual design.
An interweaving of disciplines and genre are a feature of another new festival commission A Fool’s Errand, by composer and musician Nick Roth, responding to the seminal book length poem by Dermot Healy, which charts the migration of the Barnacle Geese to Sligo. Presented in collaboration with The Model Sligo, this performance sees Nick collaborating with musicians Emer Mayock and Donal Siggins, visual artist Diarmuid Delargy and actor/playwright Donal O’Kelly as well as incorporating recorded readings by Healy's family, friends and colleagues. A Fool's Errand will premiere on Friday 8th July at The Model.
Delving further into the music strand, Sligo audiences can expect intimate concerts, lively sets and barside sessions from a range of Irish and international artists taking in folk, world, trad and classical. A highlight includes a special evening’s entertainment at Juniper Barn with two of Ireland’s rising musical stars on Saturday 9th July. Anna Mieke is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter at the vanguard of the Irish folk scene, for her performance at Cairde, her sound will be rounded out with percussion, saxophone and synth. Merging classical and contemporary influences, Rachael Lavelle has captivated audiences with her arresting voice and humorous observations on life. Her hypnotic live performances blend electronic soundscapes with spoken word and acrobatic vocals. They will be joined by Ireland’s foremost DJ, Donal Dineen, whose music policy incorporates dance music from every era and everywhere.
Within the theatre strand, Still Floating is a brand new piece of warm-hearted comic storytelling by BBC award-winning writer/performer Shôn Dale-Jones. Revisiting his 2006 show ‘Floating’, there will be three opportunities to see this two-time Fringe First award winner with a fresh story about love, resilience and laughing at the things that should make us cry. A large scale open air performance by Sligo’s own Blue Raincoat Theatre Company will bring audiences to the stunning setting of Cummeen Strand for a one-off performance of Yeats’ On Báile’s Strand. We are also delighted to welcome Growler to Sligo, she’s an 81 year old shamanic vulva exiled in Berlin who has plenty to say about class, housing, feminism and more.
For art lovers, the 2022 festival edition sees Cairde Visual move to new host partner the Hamilton Gallery, with further opportunities to explore contemporary art with three additional exhibitions in venues, on the street and in the open air running throughout the extended week-long programme.
Elsewhere in the festival will be a thrilling mix of talks, workshops, film screenings and events with young audiences in mind. The beautiful surrounds of Sligo’s Peace Park will once again be the setting for a two-day Cairde in the Park (formerly Park Fest) which promises a feast of fun with a packed programme featuring live music, circus, theatre, dance, family yoga, DJ’s, interactive play and delicious locally sourced food.
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival would like to thank its funders, patrons, sponsors and partners and in particular our principal funders The Arts Council and Sligo County Council.
L-R pictured here at The Hamilton Gallery are Marilin North, Martina Hamilton, Lorna Watkins, Heidi Wickham and Cormac O'Leary
Artists are invited to submit artworks for the 2022 Cairde Visual Open Submission Exhibition. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 27th May. Submissions can be made online, for further information please visit the Cairde Visual page.
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival is delighted to announce the return of Cairde Visual for 2022 and our new host partner, The Hamilton Gallery. The popular annual open submission exhibition, now in its 7th edition, will open on Saturday, July 2nd at The Hamilton Gallery and run until Friday July 29th.
Building on the success of previous years this dynamic and colourful show is expected to feature work from both Irish and international artists across a broad range of media including paintings and drawings, sculpture, film, photography and installation. Artists are invited to submit artworks for consideration before Friday May 27th.
Each artist who exhibits is automatically in the running to win one of the awards on offer: The Hamilton Gallery Award, The Model Residency Award, and The Cosgrove’s Delicatessen Award. The Hamilton Gallery, a pioneering contemporary art gallery in the heart of Sligo, offers the winner a solo exhibition in the gallery's calendar of exhibitions in 2023. Previous winners include Clive Bright, Daniel Chester, Hazel Egan and Noel Tighe, Tina Brooks and Heidi Wickham.
The Model Residency Award is a two week residency at The Model. Previous winners to date have been Helen Blake, Daniel Chester, Selma Makela, Anna Spearman, Kate MacDonagh, and Jonathan Hunter.
The Cosgrove’s Delicatessen Award, an exciting award which has been very generously sponsored by Cosgrove's Delicatessen offers a €1000 cash prize to the selected artist. Previous recipients were Helen Merrigan Colfer, Oonagh Hurley, and Emma Stroude. Cairde Sligo Arts Festival is very grateful to have such exceptional partners and would like to thank these organisations for their incredible support.
Cairde Visual open submission exhibition has been a very welcome feature in the annual arts festival programme. The 2022 edition of Cairde Sligo Arts Festival will take place from July 1st - 10th with a stellar line-up of Irish and international musicians, artists and performers in a range of unique and surprising venues and locations across County Sligo.
Big Snow Bunny, charcoal acrylic on canvas 107cm x 87cm. Heidi Wickham
Illuminated skies over Coney Island this weekend for Cairde Sligo Arts Festival's Seven Sisters - newly commissioned work by Mark Hill and Mandy Blinco of LUXE. Photo Emilija Jefremova
Two hundred people gathered on the island of Coney on the night of Friday, September 3rd for a very special event. Cairde Sligo Arts Festival, Sligo’s annual multi-disciplinary arts festival, presented “Seven Sisters”, a newly commissioned spectacle by landscape theatre specialists LUXE. A team of 45 cast, crew and volunteers made the event possible.
Upon arrival on the island at dusk, the audience were brought on a magical procession with handheld lanterns, making their way to the pier on Coney Island. From here a magical performance by the ‘Seven Sisters’ took place, followed by an enchanting fire dance display. The 90 minute performance culminated in a light procession back to Cummeen Strand for a grand finale featuring a fire drawing and a large scale fireworks display.
Cillian Rogers in in Cairde Sligo Arts Festival's Seven Sisters, newly commissioned work by Mark Hill and Mandy Blinco of LUXE. Photo Emilija Jefremova
A memorable night, it will be one that people will not forget for a long time. Festival Director Tara McGowan said: “This was a very special night for the people of Sligo and all those who joined us. It’s the first time for Cairde Sligo Arts Festival to produce a large-scale spectacle event, so to make it happen in such a unique setting has been a significant milestone for the Festival. We have wanted to work with LUXE for some time and were delighted to make this a reality with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland’s Spectacle Commission Award, with additional support from Creative Sligo, Sligo Arts Service and Sligo Tourism Development Association. The islanders and families connected to Coney island were extremely welcoming and we would like to thank them for joining us on the night and helping to make this happen.”
We have had such an amazing time working with Mandy Blinco and Mark Hill, the incredibly talented creatives behind LUXE and we have already started talking about a new collaboration.. so watch this space!"
Jusztina Hermann and Zoe Ramsey in Cairde Sligo Arts Festival's Seven Sisters, newly commissioned work by Mark Hill and Mandy Blinco of LUXE. Photo Emilija Jefremova
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival's Seven Sisters, newly commissioned work by Mark Hill and Mandy Blinco of LUXE which took place n the magical setting of Coney Island. Photo Emilija Jefremova
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival takes place every July, with various events and creative happenings taking place in many of County Sligo’s cultural venues as well as unique venues and locations across the County. The Festival will return for 2022 from 1st to 10th July.
See cairdefestival.com for further details.
We are delighted to announce our shortlist for the inaugural Cairde Word Short Story Competition. The short list of six writers was selected by judges Sinéad Gleeson and Louise Kennedy.
We will host an award giving event at The Model on Saturday July 10th at 6pm to announce our competition winners. We will be joined on the night by competition judges Sinéad Gleeson and Louise Kennedy as well as filter judges Una Mannion and Julianna Holland. Both live event and live stream ticket options available.
We are very grateful to our competition sponsors Callan Tansey Solicitors, The River Mill Writer’s Retreat & Liber Bookshop.
Code White, Sue Divin, (Derry, IRL)
Fungus, Robert Barrett (Wicklow, IRL)
King’s Freaks , Nico Vreeland, (Sligo, IRL)
Party Land , Fiona O’Rourke, (Dublin, IRL)
The Other Half of the Sky , Fiona Mackintosh, (Maryland, USA)
This Hamlet , Dolores Walshe, (Carrick on Shannon, IRL)
Coming to a village near you, Tumble Circus will be running a taster circus training programme for young people in Grange, Ballisodare, Ballymote, Enniscrone,Skreen, and Sligo Town from Monday 28th June - Friday 2nd July.
Brought to you by Cairde Sligo Arts Festival and funded by Sligo Leader Partnership, the pioneering, professional circus company - Tumble Circus - will be in residency in Sligo to offer a series of community circus workshops for beginners aged between 8 and 15. No previous experience is necessary and the workshops are free of charge.
Speaking ahead of the residency Festival Director Tara McGowan said “Tumble Circus have been creating and touring award winning shows across Ireland, the UK, Europe and Australia since 1998. We are delighted to have them in residency for the arts festival where a host of young people across the county will have the opportunity to learn the basics in circus skills - including juggling, hula hoop, slack rope skills and basic acrobatics - from the very best.”
The festival will be creating a short film of the work in progress where young people can get to share what they have learned.
The workshops will be held according to rigorous health and safety standards in line with government guidelines. Pre- Booking is essential
Time & Date:
Grange - Scoil Naomh Molaise
Monday 28 June & Tuesday 29 June | 10am to 12pm
Book Now
Ballisodare - Community Centre
Monday 28 June & Tuesday 29 June | 2pm to 4pm
Book Now
Michale McGowan Park - Enniscrone
Wednesday 30 June & Thursday 1 July | 10am to 12pm
Book Now
Ballymote Celtic FC - Astro pitch
Wednesday 30 June & Thursday 1 July | 10am to 12 pm
Book Now
Skreen Community Centre
Wednesday 30 June & Thursday 1 July | 2pm to 4pm
Book Now
Sligo Town - IT Sligo, Knocknarea Arena (Track)
Friday 2 July | 10am to 1 pm
Book Now
Kids are booked for 2 x half days, except on Friday 2nd where booking is all in one day.
3 separate groups of 12 kids at each workshop
We are delighted to announce that the following writers and short stories have been selected for the Cairde Word Short Story Competition long list. The long list of 13 was selected from a total of 451 entries to this year’s competition. The competition, in its inaugural year, received submissions from all over Ireland, the U.S, Germany, The U.K. and more. The selected long list are based in Sligo, Leitrim, Dublin, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Meath, Cyprus and the U.S.
Thanks once again to filter judges Una Mannion and Julianna Holland who had the task of creating the long list. Julianna Holland has said ‘It was a privilege to read such an extensive range of stories for Cairde. The standard of work, diversity and imagination was impressively high …. Our selected stories were chosen with great consideration…”
Una adds “ … The stories speak to the immense talent and the original and distinctive ways of seeing the world. … About the judging process, Lola Young says: ‘All you have to trust is words on a page and all they invoke in you as a human being, not as a judge. ”
The short list will follow on June 23rd so stay tuned.
We will host an event during this year’s festival on Saturday July 10th to announce our competition winners with competition judges Sinéad Gleeson and Louise Kennedy. We are very grateful to our competition sponsors Callan Tansey Solicitors, The River Mill Writer’s Retreat & Liber Bookshop.
Anchorhold, N Roche,(Kilkenny, IRL)
Code White, Sue Divin, (Derry, IRL)
Commune, Avril Caprani, (Meath, IRL)
Finger in the Drain , JT Godfrey, (Ohio, USA)
Fungus, Robert Barrett (Wicklow, IRL)
Home Schooling, Shannon Savvas, (Cyprus)
ill mothers sometimes fall into the zeroth law of thermodynamics Sam Kaspar, (Iowa, USA)
King’s Freaks , Nico Vreeland, (Sligo, IRL)
Liminal Spaces, Sharon Guard, (Dublin, IRL)
Party Land , Fiona O’Rourke, (Dublin, IRL)
Scorched Earth, David Butler, (Wicklow, IRL)
The Other Half of the Sky , Fiona Mackintosh, (Maryland, USA)
This Hamlet , Dolores Walsh, (Carrick on Shannon, IRL)
Full programme and tickets: www.cairdefestival.com
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Cairde Sligo Arts Festival returns with an unmissable programme of events across all artforms from July 3rd to 11th, 2021.
Blend of live indoor and outdoor events plus live streamed and online events
Tickets go on sale Thursday 10th June
Illuminated landscape event with Luxe to take place September 4th
The 2021 festival programme will take place across digital and live streaming platforms – as well as in person events. Much of the programme has been designed to be safely delivered outdoors with a small number of indoor events in line with government restrictions.
Highlights include Writing from the West featuring Kevin Barry, Louise Kennedy and Una Mannion with live audience and live stream ticket options; Ingrid Persaud In conversation with Niamh MacCabe in a live event; and Holy Show - The Alphabet of Birds live at The Factory Performance Space.
Live music highlights with live audience and live stream ticket options include Colm Mac Con Iomaire and Maija Sofia at Juniper Barn, Redmond O’Toole at Markree Castle, and Barry, Folan & McGowan with Special Guest Cathy Jordan at Hawks Well theatre.
The circus is coming to town with a festival co-commission of Tumble Circus’ Cycle Circus – coming to a village near you; a circus trail in Sligo’s Peace Park with street theatre maestro Grant Goldie and the award winning Tumble Circus & guests for a very special circus cabaret mashup. Plus Community Circus workshops for 8 - 15 year olds.
Families are invited to an outdoor socially spaced ‘sensory adventure’ with artists Laura McMorrow and Natalia Beylis. Each workshop will focus on exploring one of the senses.
2021 see’s the introduction of a new visual art trail through Sligo town called Far In Far Out , co-curated by artist Yvette Monahan, and Human Signature, an exhibition at Hyde Bridge Gallery featuring local and national lens based artists, curated by Barry McHugh.
Online highlights include an online premiere of JM Synge’s In the Shadow of the Glen by Blue Raincoat Theatre Company; the return of the Vagabond Voices series with Sorcha Fox, Wasekera Sekerani, Chandrika Narayanan Mohan; an online concert featuring Landless with Consuelo Breschi (Varo) and Cormac MacDiarmada (Lankum); live theatre performances of White Rabbit Red Rabbit & much more besides.
In addition CSAF has commissioned landscape theatre specialists LUXE to create an illuminated processional spectacle between the waters of Rosses Point and the shifting sands of Cumeen Strand. The event will explore themes of coastal living; beacons of safety & hope; way making; community, people and place. This event will also feature newly commissioned work by writer Annemarie Ní Churreáin, with sound and visuals by Laura Sheeran in collaboration with The Lighthouse Project and will take place on 4th September 2021
Photo credit: Róisín Loughrey
The team at CSAF have been working away behind the scenes so that we can bring people together to share exciting artistic experiences: online – outdoor – and in person. 🙌
Highlights will include Tumble Circus’ brand new show, Cycle Circus, which sees the award winning company cycling to a village near you for an outdoor circus performance; Far In Far Out, a visual arts trail through Sligo town; Writing from the West, an In Conversation event with writers Kevin Barry, Louise Kennedy and Una Mannion; the return of our Vagabond Voices series & much more.
📣 Stay tuned for our programme announcement via our brand new website 📣
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival have come together with Hawk's Well Theatre, Sligoto offer a week-long artist development residency for an artist from an ethnic minority background. The chosen artist will have space and time on the Hawk’s Well stage as well as having a stipend of €3,000 to cover all associated costs, including living costs.
Closing date for applications is 5pm, Monday 31st May 2021.
Photo by Róisín Loughrey of Abigail Ramaabya, taken as party of The Bed Project. Cairde Arts Festival & Hawk's Well Theatre 2020.
LUXE Landscape Theatre
We are delighted to have commissioned landscape theatre specialists LUXE to create an illuminated spectacle event inspired by Blackrock lighthouse, Oyster Island, the ‘Waiting on the Shore’ sculpture and the surrounding coastal area of Rosses Point. The event will explore themes of coastal living; beacons of safety & hope; way making; community, people and place.
The festival welcomes back award winning circus company Tumble Circus for The Travelling Cycle Circus which will bring circus by bicycle into Sligo communities. A 45 minute experience inspired by Flann O’Brien’s satirical and absurd writing and biking adventures has been created by Tumble Circus in direct response to the Covid 19 pandemic. A comprehensive circus training programme for young people, funded by Sligo Leader Partnership, will accompany this project both before and during the festival.
Tumble Circus, Travelling C\cle Circus, Photo Neal Campbell
Cairde Word returns with writing from the west featuring Kevin Barry, Louise Kennedy and Una Mannion (on Tuesday July 6th); an In Conversation event with Ingrid Persaud – winner of the Costa First Novel award for her debut novel ‘Love after Love’ (on Thursday July 8th); and the award for the inaugural Cairde Word – Short Story Competition will be presented (on Saturday 10th July).
The inaugural Cairde Word – Short Story Competition is a welcome new addition to the festivals’ literary strand. Submissions will be accepted from March 1st to April 30th via the festival website and the competition will be judged by Sinead Gleeson and Louise Kennedy. The first award of €2,000.00 is being generously sponsored by Callan Tansey solicitors.
Other programme highlights include – Human Signature, a lens based exhibition curated by Barry McHugh, which will take place in the Hyde Bridge Gallery in July; the return of the popular Vagabond Voices curated by Patrick Karl Curley and the Cairde Young Curators project with facilitator Andy Parsons, assisted by Sinead Sexton where a panel of 15 to 19 years olds will curate a strand of the festival programme.
With further events still to be announced there’s lots to look forward to this summer.
#CairdeConnected is the re-imagining of our arts festival programme 2020 so that we can continue to connect artists, audiences and communities and you can join in from the safety and comfort of your own home. We’re delighted to present new commissions and world premieres; works in progress, experimental soundscapes; literary conversations and pop up style events and a range of events for families to get tucked into.
#CairdeConnected is proud to bring you a thought provoking and stimulating literary programme under the banner of Cairde Word, supported by the Spot-lit Literary Development Programme. Ian Maleney and Sara Baume talk non-fiction facilitated by Una Mannion on Thursday July 9th at 8pm. Alice Lyons is in conversation with Louise Kennedy on the publication of her latest work, Oona which has been described as ‘an ingeniously crafted marvel’ on Saturday July 11th.
Cairde Word also presents Vagabond Voices, curated by Patrick Karl Curley, which brings together a chorus of unique voices featuring Alix Lambert, Emma Dabiri, Franki Elliot, Karl Geary, Demi Anter, Ruth Clinton & Niamh Moriarty, Sasha Terfous, Caragh Maxwell and Olivia Furey.
Our Music programme in 2020 has a focus on sharing new work and new beginnings. A Trad Arts commission features a collaboration with Cathy Jordan (vocals, mandolin, percussion), Claudia Schwab (fiddle, vocals) and Irene Buckley (electronics, vocals). In an intimate setting, the three musicians express their bond to traditional music, whereby ancient tradition is summoned to meet new burgeonings. This world premiere event will air on Friday, July 10th at 8pm. Ted Kelly (of Moxie) will share his new solo project which sees his love for ‘lo-fi’ Hip Hop meld gently with his love of traditional music. This piece features visuals and will be aired on Thursday 9th at 10pm.
Photo by Brian Farrell
Multi-instrumentalist Natalia Beylis & Cellist Eimear Reidy invite us into the woods for an arboreal music & research project entitled Whose Woods these are. This is an ongoing project across numerous locations in Ireland, the first of which is happening during #CairdeConnected, whereby the artists bring us on a sonic woodland journey and ask us to imagine a public domain of trees where no one owns them and together we are their guardians.
Photo by Brian Farrell
Rounding off the week, Donal Dineen will broadcast a special Make Me An Island podcast – a podcast that has become a weekly highlight for many during the lockdown – featuring special guest Steve Wickham on Saturday July 11th.
Photo by Anna Leask
We are very excited to present a work in progress sharing of ‘The Bed’ in collaboration with the Hawk’s Well Theatre and Sligo Arts Service, funded by The Arts Council Invitation to Collaboration Scheme. A performance project which brings together Theatre Makers Sorcha Fox, Charmaine T Matonsi, Abigail (Ashley) Ramaabya, Amir Abualrob, Wasekere-Sekerani, Nokwanda Siziba, Donal O’Kelly and poet Rafeef Ziadah to explore ideas of homelessness, life, safety, exile, incarceration, the reality of life in Direct Provision and freedom. The piece features music composed and performed by Dee Armstrong and Lughaidh Armstrong Mayock. A sharing of work to date will premiere during Cairde Connected on Saturday, July 11th at 6pm.
Kids will as always get a chance to boogie to Will Softly’s World music disco – a festival favourite blending old-skool classics with long lost alternative gems from all four corners of the Globe – a live broadcast will provide motivation for all parts of the body to shake rattle and roll! A morning workshop series features bookmaking, illustration and creature creation to keep young ones busy at home now that the home-schooling is over.
Louise Waters Natural Therapies, Yoga, family Yoga, Business Photographer, photographer Ireland
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival Capsule in Autumn 2020
In addition to July’s virtual programme, CSAF are continuing to work on a number of development projects throughout 2020. Cairde Young Curators, a programme where artist Andy Parsons is working with a group of 15 to 19 – year-olds on curating an aspect of the festival programme continues online; the culmination of which will be shared this autumn. Residencies taking place in 2020 include a project inspired by the works of Dorothy Cross with Junk Ensemble in November; continued development work on theatre project Uprooted with Brokentalkers in Autumn 2020.
CSAF would like to acknowledge the support of The Arts Council of Ireland, Sligo County Council and the Spot-lit Literary Tourism Programme.
Join the conversation: @cairdefestival #CairdeConnected
Featuring Alix Lambert, Emma Dabiri, Franki Elliot, Karl Geary, Demi Anter, Ruth Clinton & Niamh Moriarty, Sasha Terfous, Caragh Maxwell and Olivia Furey.
A variation of our pop-up walking tour of previous years, Vagabond Voices combines a selection of Irish and international perspectives through reading and performance over three days, Wednesday 8th , Thursday 9th , and Friday 10th of July.
Browse artists and events here >> Vagabond Voices
Patrick Karl Curley is a poet and performance artist from Sligo, Ireland. He is curator of Vagabond Voices poetry/performance event for Cairde Sligo Arts Festival, and hosts Illumnations open mic poetry at Bookmart. His work has been selected by Poetry Barn for the Poetic Licence exhibition at the Arts Society of Kingston, NY, in August 2020. He has previously published work in Dream Noir Art, Black Heart Magazine, Crack The Spine, Hidden Channel, The Cormorant, and From The Depths, and has performed his work on Sunken Transmissions for Dublin Digital Radio.
In the meantime here are some throwback pictures of our festival 2019 by Anna Leask – Art and Photography and Gavin McGoldrick.
In addition to our virtual programme, we are continuing to work on a number of development projects throughout 2020. Cairde Young Curators, a programme where artist Andy Parsons is working with a group of 15 to 19 year-olds on curating an aspect of the festival programme continues online.
Residencies taking place in 2020 include a project inspired by the works of Dorothy Cross with Junk Ensemblein November; a residency with Theatre Maker Sorcha Foxin collaboration with Sligo Arts Service and the Hawk’s Well Theatre and continued development work onUprooted withBrokentalkersin Autumn 2020.
We hope you are all well
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival (CSAF) returns from July 4th to 12th 2020. As part of this year’s programme, Festival organisers are seeking to connect with younger audiences from across County Sligo.
Cairde Young Curators, is a major new initiative for the festival, focussing on those aged between 15 and 19 years. The Festival is currently inviting young people to join this new initiative and have their input on the Festival programme this summer.
The project will see a team of young curators work with the Festival team to program a special element of this year’s festival. The project will commence in mid February and run right up until the arts festival itself in July, where the young curators will meet, brainstorm ideas, research, explore, plan, document, get inspired and select their potential event. This event may come in the form of a live music gig, an interactive workshop, a visual art exhibition or none of the above – most importantly the ideas will come from the team – Giving a younger audience an opportunity to have their say in what is on offer during the arts festival.
If you would like to join this group, Cairde Sligo Arts Festival invites you to send in a short statement saying why you would like to be involved by Monday the 3rd of February to: cairdeyoungcurators@gmail.com
For more information check out our website: www.cairdefestival.com or follow @cairdefestival
Cairde Young curators is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland.
