2014 Gallery
Thursday & Friday
Saturday & Sunday
THE 2014 ALLINGHAM FESTIVAL
The CHAIRMAN'S REFLECTIONS
From the Design Workshops on Thursday morning to the Choral Concert on Sunday evening, the 2014 Allingham Festival cast a fresh light on Ballyshannon and created a buzz about the new and growing opportunities for the region.
Turnout for the Festival exceeded everyone’s expectations. Audiences filled the main auditorium of the Abbey Arts Centre for the evening events, including the Keynote Speech by NI Minister Carál Ní Chuilín, and the responses to her vision by ROI Minister Joe McHugh and other panellists.
The Design Workshops facilitated by #designatmagee were filled with Secondary and Further Education students – a strong indication of popular interest in design & digital storytelling. Students from five different schools and colleges from both sides of the border gained hands-on experience in storyboarding, animation, interaction design and film, helping to establish Ballyshannon as a regional centre for emerging technologies.
One of my personal favourite moments occurred when Adrian Dunbar led a lobbyful of Festival-goers in singing 'What a Wonderful World' at the launch of the Northern Star Books edition of ‘The Fairies’, illustrated by Barry Britton.
Festivals evolve, and in its evolution the Allingham developed two mottoes: ‘Creativity Across Borders’ and ‘Inspiring Creativity / Engaging Enterprise’. Like DNA, the two strands intermingled. Future Allingham Festivals will continue to celebrate the interplay of technology and imagination, and Ballyshannon may become a destination of choice for creative people from around the world.
Perhaps the two Festival mottoes will consolidate into something like this: ‘Inspiring Creativity and Engaging Enterprise Across Borders’ - Not a bad future for Ireland’s oldest town?
Tom Sigafoos, Chair, 2014 Allingham Festival
With thanks to all of The Allingham Festival Committee Members: Conor Beattie, Conor Carney, Marie Corcoran-Tindill, Monica Corish, Carl Duggan, Ann Drummond, Christine Fox, Marina Flood, Aideen Hayes, Marie Liston, Padraic Lynch, Mary McGuinness, Michael McLoone, Emer O’Shea & Sally Stephens.