It’s Ireland’s turn again to be in the limelight for the annual Festival Interceltique de Lorient next August
For those of you who might think that there is only traditional music at this yearly celebration of Celtic music, it might be worth bearing in mind that this year’s line-up includes the very young and very infectious Cavan foursome The Strypes (pictured above), as well as The Dubliners and Mary Black.
Also among the headline acts at the are legendary French singer-songwriter Bernard Lavilliers and Suzanne Vega from the US. The festival brings together up to 800,000 revellers in ten-day musical celebration of the Celtic nations. This year’s festival takes place from Friday the 1st to Sunday the 10th of August.
This is the 44th edition of the famous festival, with Ireland taking the rotating turn as the Guest of Honour. One of the highlights is expected to be the Grande Nuit de l’Irlande on the 5th, when trad group Lúnasa will be celebrating their 25th anniversary.
The Festival Interceltique is a wonderful opportunity for all Celts (and non-Celts) to discover the music of their cousins: a chance to catch the likes of Breton nationalist and musician Gilles Servat, a man who has invited the likes of the Rita Connolly, Andy Irvine and the late Ronnie Drew to sing on his albums. He plays on the 3rd. Mary Black will be live on the 7th, while the three surviving members of The Dubliners will be making what is sure to be an emotionally-charged return to the festival at the Stade du Moustoir on Saturday the 9th.
Folk-pop legend Suzanne Vega will be a welcome addition too with her homage to Pete Seeger on the 5th. Other non-celts will be on stage too, including Kurdish and Senegalese artists.
For further information, see www.festival-interceltique.com.