This article is from page 10 of the 2011-06-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
OVER 5,000 this people are set to descend on Miltown Malbay and district from this weekend for the annual Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy music festival that’s worth an estimated € 5m to the local economy.
The 39th festival, which commemorates the famous Miltown Malbay musician who died in 1973, will be officially opened this Saturday night by Sean Keane of The Chieftans, while a host of marquee names in traditional music will attend over the course of the event that runs from July 2 to 10.
“The key to the success of the Scoil Samhradh,” says festival Co-Director, Harry Hughes, “ is that we have always tried to maintain an excellence in the tuition that we offer ever year.
“This year we have the likes of Martin Hayes who comes to the festival every year, Edel Fox, Paddy Glackin, Mick Mulkerrins, Kieran Hanrahan and Rip Epping, while photographer Tony Kearns, who has been documenting the school over a long number of years will deliver the Breandán Breathnach Memorial Lecture, An Eye for the Music, which discusses the relationship between photography and Irish traditional music,” adds Hughes, who founded the festival back in 1973 with Muiris Ó Rocháin and Martin Talty.
For the past number of years, the Tuesday of summer school week has been devoted to celebrating the life and work of a musician who has made a significant contribution to the Irish musical heritage.
This year the honour goes to Clare’s own Peadar O’Loughlin, the Kilmaley flute and pipe player, who is regarded as one of the masters of the musical tradition.
The Peadar O’Loughlin tribute takes place on Tuesday next and will feature contributions from his friends and fellow musicians, will be coordinated by piper and RT presenter and producer, Peter Browne.