Fire fest to light up mid-summer
Thursday June 18 2009
A MIDSUMMER festival is expected to attract huge crowds to Gougane Barra Hotel in the Muskerry region later this month. Owners of Gougane Barra Hotel, Neil and Katy Lucey, are behind the staging of a major festival in the hotel grounds.
The festival will feature well known singers John Spillane, Richard Lucey, Gearóid O Dúinnín & co along with Mick Flannery and his band.
The new festival, called Féile Tine, aims to reenact the customs from an ancient midsummer festival that was banned in the last century.
From Friday June 19 until Sunday, June 21, there will be a series of preconcert dinners, sunset walks and bonfire parties. Mr Lucey anticipates that tickets for the big event will soon be sold out.
Every night a preconcert dinner is available for €28. On the opening night there is a historical introduction to the festival with Coolea man, Sean Óg O Duinnín. Tickets to John Spillane are €18.50.
On Saturday, after dinner entertainment is provided. Tickets are €15 to see a host of musicians including Richard Lucey, Gearóid O Duinnín, Conal Ó Grada, Geraldine Ó Callaghan and Fiona Kelleher. There is a sunset walk over Gougane Barra on Saturday evening.
A guided walk kicks off the final part of the festival at 3am on the Sunday morning. There will be a walk around the Lee Valley. A pre concert dinner will take place in the hotel at 6pm.
Mick Flannery and his band will be performing on the final night. After the concert a bonfire will be lit to mark the end of a truly eventful weekend.
Tickets are €20 to see Mick Flannery. For booking contact 026 47069.
- LOUISE MCCARTHY LMCCARTHY@CORKMAN.IE
