Cork Folk Festival returns with style, spirit and sessions
The city's premier folk festival returns with a massive line-up of 150 musicians who will be taking over pubs, parks and concert venues for the four-day festival which kicks off on September 29
It’s hard to believe, and harder to pull off, but Cork Folk Festival carried on with slides, songs, jigs, reels and slow airs through two years of the pandemic, never missing a beat.
This year’s festival which was launched last night in St. Peter’s Church on North Main Street and which kicks off on September 29 will bring 150 musicians to the city, as well as seeing the festival return to venues such as An Spailpín Fánach which are part of the festival fabric and central to the folk music tradition in Cork.
“We managed to run two festivals in the middle of the pandemic,” William Hammond, one of the festival directors, told Tripe +Drisheen at the launch of the 43rd iteration.
But Hammond said the stress and the work is harder this time round because for the last two years they were doing a lot less, and meeting fewer people.
“Just now I’m trying to work out what am I missing, because we were on a roll (before the pandemic), and you’d know every year what to do, and then all of a sudden you’d forget about it,” Hammond said, referring to reduced workload of the hybrid festivals which were staged over the past two years.
Included in the line-up for the four-day festival this year are Mary Black, Danú, Sean Keane, Matt Molloy as well as homegrown stars of the folk scene such as Jimmy Crowley, Clare Sands, Jackie Daly, Karl Nesbitt and Ger Murphy.
“Our focus is to try and get folk music a prominent position for at least one weekend and to celebrate it,” Hammond said.
Between 20 and 30 musicians turned up at St Peter’s on North Main Street for the launch of the festival armed with fiddles, button accordions, concertinas, banjos, tin whistles and bodhráns.
They were accompanied by Lord Mayor Cllr Deirdre Forde who officially launched the festival. With the festival launched she joined musicians from Douglas Comhaltas on the bodhrán.
“What a gang,” Hammond said of the troupe of musicians that played behind him. “I just put the word out if anybody wants to come along.”
The response was overwhelming, which Hammond said shows how healthy the folk music scene is in Cork.
Between all the jigs and reels of organising a festival which is spread across multiple venues spread across the city centre and suburbs Hammond, an accordion player, said he was doubtful he’d get round to playing a tune in a session during the festival.
“I have to slow down a small bit,” he said laughing.
Cork Folk Festival, however, shows no signs of easing up.
Ones to watch at this year’s Cork Folk Festival:
Céilí Mór at Douglas GAA, Thursday, September 29. One of the first céilís to be held in the city since 2020.
Fiddle Fair, Live at St Lukes, Friday, September 30. Celebrating 30 years at Cork Folk Festival with Liz Doherty’s Fiddlesticks, North Cregg, Catriona McKay & Chris Stout, Lena Jonsson and Johanna Juhola.
Cork City Library Book Launch Friday, September 30; The Jackie Daly Collection of Original Irish Tunes (open invite, 6:30pm)
An Spailpín Fánach, Friday, September 30. Caitlín Nic Gabhann & Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, Seamie O’Dowd & Leonard Barry.
Clare Sands, Live at St Lukes, Saturday, October 1. You can read our profile of Clare here.
The Long Valley, Saturday, October 1. Jimmy Crowley and Eve Telford. You can listen to a podcast with Jimmy Crowley and Ellie O’Byrne here.
Danú, Triskel Christchurch Saturday, October 1. Danú in concert with Eoin Jordan.
Folk fest in Fitzgerald Park, Sunday, October 2. Free Folk fest in the Park with Torcán, Douglas Comhaltas.
The Gate Cinema, Sunday, October 2. ‘Dark Horse On The Wind, The Life and Songs of Liam Weldon’ directed by Myles O’Reilly. Part of the 4 film programme, ‘The Power of the Song’, presented by Cork Folk Festival in association with IndieCork Film Festival.
Cork Opera House, Sunday, October 2. Mary Black in Concert with Bill Shanley, Pat Crowley, Nick Scott, Richie Buckley and Liam Bradley plus Gráinne Hunt
For full programme details and tickets, visit the Cork Folk Festival website here.
Thanks for the mention,
hope to see ye all over the festival weekend.