2014 ALLINGHAM FESTIVAL TO LAUNCH COLLECTOR’S EDITION OF CLASSIC POEM

A Collector’s Edition of THE FAIRIES, the classic poem by William Allingham, will be launched at the 2014 Allingham Festival in Ballyshannon.

The launch of the Northern Star edition of THE FAIRIES will take place from 6:30 – 7:30 in the Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon, as part of the 2014 Allingham Festival on Friday, 7 November 2014. Actor, singer, and screenwriter Adrian Dunbar will join artist Barry Britton in the launch festivities.

Barry Britton’s illustrations combine a fresh interpretation of the Allingham poem with Celtic themes and camouflaged images. Copies of his original artwork for THE FAIRIES will be on display in the Helen Allingham Gallery in the Abbey Arts Centre.

The launch of THE FAIRIES will immediately precede the Friday evening programme of the 2014 Allingham Festival, “AN EVE OF OF OSCAR NOMINEES & EMMY AWARD WINNERS” that will include presentations by Cartoon Saloon, creators of the animated film THE SECRET OF KELLS, and by SpinVFX, creators of special effects for GAME OF THRONES.

Barry Britton will also feature in the Festival’s Sunday afternoon radio documentary programme on THE BEACH BOYS OF ROSSNOWLAGH.

See www.allinghamfestival.com for the schedule and new features of the expanded 2014 Allingham Festival (6-7-8-9 November). All events, times and locations are subject to change.

SpinVFX & 'Game of Thrones'

Post by Allingham Arts Festival.

Allingham visits Heaney Country

On Home Ground celebrated the late great Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney recently at Laurel Villa in Magherafelt. One of our Allingham Festival committee members went along ...

A Ballyshannon man on sound!

The unique festival site of Laurel Villa in Magherafelt

Seamus Heaney's nephew, James Heaney on banjo supporting Robyn Sheils.

Gary Lightbody playing a few Heaney inspired originals.

“A unique location and a very relaxed picnic atmosphere. There was a variety of acts, big and small and tasty treats to boot. Definitely worth a visit. One for next year’s calendar for sure.”

The emphasis was on the culture and creative vibrancy of the local people and the countryside of “Seamus Heaney Country”.  We caught up with some internationally renowned writers, musicians, artists, literary organisations and publishers to pay special tribute to the poet and his work. We also recruited some visitors for this year's Allingham too of course.

Snow Patrol's front man, Gary Lightbody, paid his first public performance tribute to the man he described as making him want to be a writer. From being published as a poet at 15 to winning an Ivor Novello award & penning some of the biggest anthemic hits of our times, Gary places Seamus as a central force in his creative life. Writing in response to the news of Seamus' death, he wrote about an invisible tribe of people who act as creative touchstones. "People of profound light, love and kindness that simply maybe even without their knowledge make us and the world around them better. Stepehen Fry is one. Guy Garvey another. To seem them on the stage, screen or on the page makes us feel safer, happier, stronger, more centred and less confused by life and what the hell we're doing here. I would make Heaney chieftain of that 'invisible tribe.'" Gary was in conversation with the On Home Ground curator Marie Louise Muir.

Primary/Secondary/FE/HE School Competition update

Hi Allingham followers,

Just a quick note to bring you up to speed on the timely educational competitions.
Primary & secondary school students can now download entry forms for competitions in;
Primary Art
Primary Poetry and Flash Fiction
Secondary Poetry and Flash Fiction

The secondary school students will also have an opportunity to enter the Secondary/FE/HE Moving Image competition, 'Poetry In Motion' and a Typography competition. (More details on this in late September.

And we aren't forgetting the adults either, get you entries in for the Adults Poetry & Flash Fiction Competition folks.

TopTip for teachers & students:
The booking system for all events goes LIVE on Monday morning at 8am.
There are two cracking matinees on Friday 7th Nov. The Secret Of Kells for the older primary school kids and a unique 'Meet the Director & Screening' of a brilliant new film from John Deery 'DROP' (15Cert, so prob TY/LC/FE/HE students)

Orlaith McBride, Arts Council Director at Allingham 2014

Thurs 6th Nov
8:00pm - 10:00pm
Abbey Centre, Ballyshannon

Minister Carál Ní Cuilín (Arts & Culture NI) and  Ms Orlaith McBride (Director, Arts Council) combine with a keynote address, launch and panel discussion talking creative enterprise in the Northwest. Wow!!!, Don't miss it! 

Festival Launch & panel response: Orlaith McBride
- Director, Arts Council (ROI)

Keynote address: Carál Ní Chuilín
- Áire Cultύir, Ealaίon agus Fόillίochta (NI)

This event aims to stimulate discussion and debate around the possibilities of creative enterprise in Ballyshannon and the northwest. We live in a hub of diverse creativity and there are many small businesses and creative individuals generating high quality creative output in this area. However, unemployment remains much greater than national average, and in order to assist growth in the creative sector, events offering relevant knowledge content and appropriate networking opportunities are important. 

The Minister’s keynote will focus on engaging industry with the creative and cultural industries as drivers of growth, jobs, prosperity and community development. Indeed we see the event as a possible opening of an agenda for discussion on creating the conditions for a local/regional collaborative  project or start-up creative enterprises.

We’re hoping Ms McBride will outline the context of the role of the Arts Council and the recent strategic review of how it addresses its remit and the Allingham Festival would welcome exploration into the potential of the Creative Europe 2014-2020 funding programme to design and develop projects at a local, regional or national level. There would also be a huge local interest if ‘The Creative State North West’ report and recommendations can be incorporated into the panel discussion too perhaps. Let’s see what happens. I’m sure it will be an extremely informative evening. The Allingham Festival is ideally positioned to encourage innovation, networking and development of creative industries locally. Perhaps this event could spark the beginning of something much bigger?

This event is open to all and free to attend. Please join us to get this year’s festival off to a flyer!

Get the full story HERE