This article is from page 103 of the 2008-07-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 103 JPG
THE High King himself would have been proud of the feasting and fun that was offered to visitors and locals alike at this year’s Féile Brian Boru.
Even the weather mostly bowed to royal command so that people could eat al fresco as well as enjoy the mu- sic mayhem and magic on the streets. When the rain did start, folks took cover in the bars with cultural tours, exhibitions and lectures.
This year the festival had a distinct- ly forward looking flavour, although the history of the town as the seat of the famed High King was not forgot- ten either.
This was the fifteenth year of the festival and more than 2,000 visitors came to the lakeside town to enjoy the pageantry.
Some of the highlights of this year’s festival were the children’s pa- rade, the fabulous Fanzini Brothers performances and the food fair on the green. Local restaurants, produc- ers, and vendors from the farmers’ market combined their considerable talents to give festival-goers a taste of some of the great food that is on offer in east Clare.
Along with the popular dragon boat racing, the new power-boat racing event proved a hit and there was lots of interest in the CELT village which
provided a taster of traditional crafts and skills.
Youngsters danced to acts at the Every Moment Counts Youth Club music festival and those of every age enjoyed the Beat on the Street and the many musical pub events.
And there was the beat on the streets, the art trail, canoe polo, guided tours of the cathedral as well as traditional music, singing and set dancing workshops for all ages and levels of ability.
There were pub quizzes, drumming workshops for teenagers, the clash of the ash, the Feile Feis and every- thing necessary to make the festival an even bigger success than previous
years.
Festival organisers paid tribute to the support which the event got from local people and particularly busi- nesses.
“A lot of people put in a lot of hard work to organise the festival and it would not have been possible to stage half of it without the sponsorship and support of local businesses. They gave us fantastic support”, a spokes- woman said.