CEOL AND CRAIC AT ALL NEW BRAY TRAD FESTIVAL

Issued 12th May 2008

The ceol agus craic will be mighty in Bray this coming weekend when an all all-new festival event, The Bray Trad Festival, is launched in the town. A collaboration between Bray Tourism, The Martello, and Bray Comhaltas, hosts of the 2008 Wicklow Fleadh, the all-new Bray Trad Festival will take place from from Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th May.

Bray Comhaltas is hosting the County Wicklow Fleadh from 10.30am on Sunday 18th May, the highlight of the four day musical celebration. Over 125 competitors from across the county, ranging from Under-10s to Seniors, will take part in the Wicklow Fleadh which is being held in Colaiste Raithín, Florence Road, Bray. The winners in each competition will go forward to the Leinster Finals taking place in July.

Elsewhere throughout the weekend there will be live music sessions in venues across the town, all part of the all-new Bray Trad Festival, which is being sponsored by The Martello and Bray Tourism. There will be live Trad sessions from 9pm in the Harbour Bar and Katie Gallaghers on Thursday 15 May to get things started, while the official opening concert for the Wicklow Fleadh, which is free to all, will take place on Friday 16 May from 8pm at Colaiste Raithín, followed by a céilí from 9.30pm at Katie Gallaghers. Trad sessions will be held in The Martello, Hollands Bar, Katie Gallaghers and The Strand throughout the weekend, with a céilí planned for Saturday 17 May from 9pm at Katie Gallaghers, and an afternoon trad session on the Seafront Bandstand from 3pm on Sunday 18 May.

John Duggan, General Manager of The Martello, principle sponsor of the all-new Bray Trad Festival, said the new festival event will allow the rich Irish musical tradition of the town and county to be enjoyed by a much wider audience. “The Bray Trad Festival as well as the County Wicklow Fleadh will enable everyone to experience Wicklow’s finest traditional musicians as they compete for the honour of becoming a Fleadh winner, as well as afford everyone the opportunity to enjoy the ‘ceol agus craic’ of trad music in some of Bray’s finest pubs. The Martello is delighted to be principle sponsor of this all new event, and we’re sure that this will be the first of many more trad festivals to come in the town,” John Duggan commented.

Pat Ó Súilleabháin, Chairman of Bray Tourism, co-sponsors of Bray Trad Festival, expressed his delight that Bray now had an event which could showcase the talents of Wicklow’s finest traditional Irish musicians. “Visitors to Bray will, through this Festival, have the opportunity to experience the richness and passion of traditional music as played by some of the county’s finest musicians. There is a rich vein of Irish Culture in Wicklow, and through this festival our visitors will see that they have struck the payload. Congratulations to Bray Comhaltas, and the Festival’s principal sponsors The Martello, for having the vision to bring this slice of musical magic to the visitors and residents of Bray,” Mr Ó Súilleabháin commented.

Gerry O’Donnell of Bray Comhaltas, hosts of the 2008 Wicklow Fleadh, stated: “Bray Comhaltas is delighted to host this festival of traditional music, song and dance in our town. The Wicklow Fleadh Ceoil is not only an occasion for young and more experienced players to measure their skills in competition, but it is also an occasion for all local and visiting musicians, their friends and family to celebrate, share and appreciate our vibrant culture.” Mr O’Donnell added that he hoped this coming weekend’s Bray-based Wicklow Fleadh would be a massive success, and afford Bray the opportunity to be considered as the host town for the 2009 Leinster Fleadh, which is due to be hosted by County Wicklow next year.

Bray Comhaltas was officially launched in September 2007 however Bray musicians, along with members of Roundwood Comhaltas, have attended many Wicklow and Leinster Fleadhanna before this time. The organisation has revived The Wren and Straw Boy tradition in the area with appearances at Johnny Foxes, Bray Seafront, Enniskerry and the Bray St Patrick’s Carnival Parade, in which they were named the overall winners.

A massive community effort has gone into preparing for this coming weekend’s Fleadh, with Bray Comhaltas receiving support from the Dublin and Wicklow County Boards as well as the Leinster Board of Comhaltas to make this first-ever Wicklow Fleadh in Bray a reality. The local branch has also received significant support from Coláiste Ráithin, St Peter’s Parish, and the members of the Bray and Roundwood Committees.