 you're listening to around the Northwest now the Errigal Arts Festival is on around the Northwest at the moment and We're in for another busy weekend. It's off to a great start this weekend There's events everywhere from Balibuffet to Ruffo Glitter Kenny to Bunkrana And if you're looking for something to do with the family for instance over the weekend There's big circus shows in the big top in Ruffo But the director of the festival now Paul Brown joins me in the studio to tell us who you're more about what's happening in the coming days and into next week. Hopefully Paul good afternoon to you. Hi, John Now you're off to a good start and we're setting off there But the weather but the weather doesn't play a big part because everything what most things are all tented Yeah, I mean obviously as you mentioned there is that the circus program. We have a big top tent It's in Ruffo this weekend So a tumble circus who I'm sure plenty of listeners would know from previous years have a new show there And that's performing today, and then we have a great show by an Italian artist called Mateo Galbissera He's performing a show called the loser, which is really funny show for kids and adults as well too. So that's happening out at the Roy and Pryor school out there in Ruffo. Okay, so the tent set up all ready to go We've had works great workshops this morning all sold out And again workshops will run through tomorrow and Saturday as well great family activities great idea for a family Well, that's it. You know the the festival really reaches out to the right as you mentioned right across, you know, the Northwest But it also is about trying to bring Arts and creativity to everybody, you know So it's providing kind of an accessible program people can participate you can learn skills through you say the the workshop programs that we run But also is about about you know people coming along a sense of getting together a sense of community A sense of you know collective kind of celebration as well too, which is kind of what the essence of what festival is really about So we've plenty on in terms you mentioned there in terms of obviously the circus program. We have street arts performers here We have another artist called Lorenzo. I'm just gonna get to Lorenzo There's already been experience of him down in the shopping center here in that I can't he but he's He's got a couple of different shows. So he's got the kind of security guard of people who may have witnessed Yesterday in there Kenny shop and center was a big thanks actually to the dough on the staff down there for facilitating that But yeah, so he'd be on the main street in there Kenny as well as a police man as an Italian policeman so He'd be there interacting with people on on on their their travels through literally main street And then he'd be in before the diamond then as well too on Saturday. Excellent now there's two great concerts tonight Thursday in the Art Center for instance, there's Gerald Donald and Trevor Sexton That's right. Yeah, so baller has a great series of gigs on there the Frank Walters on the weekend there as well too So yeah, if anybody wants to check out that that's in Balba Faye obviously for people who don't know and then we have well When the RCC we have a show which is very close to sell them out So I mean if anybody wants tickets for an amicum there this evening then they They should really get on the website and get that because it says we have a lot of shows or are are selling out Which is great to see you're particularly for the artists as well, too So if anybody needs to get tickets is all available online through AF dot ie our website But again, yeah, we're delighted this has been such a great response They've ice will be don't leave it a chance book your tickets in advance exactly. That's very much So, you know, you're guaranteed your seat basically and I would say as well, too When we know keep an eye on they can sign up your newsletter because we update everybody, you know through that as well to your social media We'll give details of things that are sold out So we wouldn't want anybody traveling if they haven't got a seat So it's always advisable to book in advance, you know, absolutely now over the weekend after a great success last year on Fela Lane. Well, it was on earlier this year actually on a TG car, but the camera crews back the Near TV and they're back to more filming this weekend. That's right This is the second year of a of a series for TG car, which will get broadcast in January of 2024 Excuse me if anybody saw the series earlier this year, it's a Series of concerts that are shot at and green theater here in another Kenny And then there's seven episodes broadcast and later in the year so great exposure. No, it's great You know, it's a really it's great for dunnygaw, you know, because there's so much as well, too About dunnygaw within the actual program, you know So so this Friday we have a celebration of the Campbell's, you know The fiddle players basically, you know from from West on you also Jimmy and Vincent and that's involved in Peter As well too in terms of the curation. That's was a huge number of fiddlers involved in that concert And there the sport actually comes and we didn't deliberately do this comes from a young Scottish Piper small pipe small pipes bridge Campbell So she's she's coming just so happens. It wasn't delivered at all So she's coming on it's coming with a no work of law Aiden is gonna go connections himself And they're performing a special performance on Friday night with You know for specifically for the festival and for the for the TG car series and then we move on to Saturday and we have fiddle the trio fiddle players celebrate fiddle players from dunnygaw. Yeah, and Fluke with Brian Finnegan great, you know player from our mouth. Yeah Say a lot of people who are followers of traditional music would know them very well And that's in the theater on Saturday evening Sunday The cast of these family from West on you all will be performing at lunchtime and again That's gonna be a very special program because again of the focus on dunnygaw within that as well, too you know, it's a family group from from Great great kind of tradition. You know say of our traditional music within dunnygaw And then the afternoon. That's Sunday afternoon. Yeah. Yeah, and it's you know, it's it's it's about celebrating the song book You know, so it's about it's a we want to encourage people as well to bring bring kids along You know, it'll be something I'm sure they'll be kind of bits of it That'll that'll be kind of very much engaging for them as well. Yeah, because there's some songs that were We learned in school. Exactly. They're still being taught in school. Yeah, and then the the casties put their own sort of twist on them Yeah, yeah, very entertaining. Yeah, very very indeed. Yeah, and then we well all their sold-out shows now The tickets are all gone for it is Lisa O'Neill and ushers and on closing that series of concerts on Sunday, right? just want to mention that John Roddy John D. Roddy is Part of the festival again this year's that's an artist and performer and he's working with the young people again He is the projects called Fido Fido We started that project last year with a number of young participants From various ethnic ethnic backgrounds, you know So they came in and they told their own stories through an animation that we screened at the regional cultural center then when the John's been working You know With with these young people for a number of weeks now. So this year we did it again We've had more participants taking part as people telling their own story telling their you know that expressing, you know, I suppose How they came to Dunningall maybe how they live here, you know, how they connect with everybody each other And those are really real. I mean it was it was a very emotional Screening we had last year. I'm sure this one this year will be as emotional because it's some some very tough stories in there as well too, but you know, it was great to see how these young people were expressing themselves how the creative kind of Expression was coming through through the medium of illustration. Yeah, and animation John's brilliant, you know Anybody Work is, you know, well, no, he's got he's got a significant amount of followers on YouTube across the world But it's been great that he's been able to do that again Say tell new stories and that we're gonna screen that at the reason cultural center on Saturday the 15th of July at 3 p.m In the afternoon, so that's free anybody come along Really, you know, it's a sense of it's great piece of work We've done absolutely free Saturday at the regional cultural center Well, there's a lot to it because you mentioned about the the concerts and about traditional music and then there's There's folk music and then, you know Music from other cultures as well And then you're chatting there about the circus acts and about Lorenzo out and about on the streets and you know There's and then animation with John and stuff So, you know, it's it encompasses a lot and I supposed to get to get the full flavor of everything That's available in different parts of the county go to the website That's right. Yep. E a f dot ie you'll find out all the details and you find out more There's some things in there as well to that aren't in the printed program. Okay, you know So there's there's an additional exhibition happening down in and gallery in Ghidor as well to And say there's plenty there, you know throughout the next kind of 10 11 days We run right through until the 23rd of July. The circus focus will go to Ghidor Next week, we'll pack a tent down take it across the door and set up down there maharick Allen So we'll be running a series of shows there as well to a core show will be tumble circus again So we try and take it around the county a bit each year and then we have other, you know Great kind of international performers coming to do that as well to Henry Garrison back next week as well to their Residencies running that's sold out But the concert is this year will be in the current on a Colgan Hall Okay At the end of the week on Friday the 21st And then we say, you know, there's a couple of other different kind of concerts that'll be happening both and well right across the county Really, we've fantastic band from from core called pretty happy. They'll be performed at the regional cultural center That's an all ages show as well too. So if anybody anybody wants to go along to that obviously They're more welcome So, yeah, let's say We're trying our best to reach out to as many places as possible. We can't be everywhere at once It's always a thing. We're very conscious of so if we it'd be great if we had the money to do so so but You say we do try our best to try and you know, take us as much accessible Creative and artistic work out to different parts of the legal bearing in mind that the festival is not for profit And it's actually a registered charity. Yes. Yes, so that's something not a lot of people Might know. Yes, so, you know that we are charity We we we we fully rely on the support of obviously our funders the arts council don't even go county council fall charge and then I hope For us to get a number of other, you know, we have a portfolio of different funders But essentially the festival doesn't happen John without the people that don't eat all And the visitors who come here as well to during the summertime, you know, that's what doesn't happen without people So the people who contribute Who buy tickets who they make and say we have a donation facility if anybody feels that they've got a spare You know, if you're quite the one to donate the festival which all gets plowed back into us being able to make these events a lot of it's free But it's also about, you know, subsidizing making accessible for people as well too So that maybe, you know income or finances and necessarily always a buyer if we can kind of create works Events and projects that are engaging for people You know, that that support is really crucial from from from the public in terms of actually delivering what we do You know, I'm making I'm making it affordable So to say, you know We're always that we have a donation facility there that that money that's plowed back into the festival But I just want to say a huge thank you to everybody's bought tickets who comes along to the festival because they say without Without you doesn't kind of happen, you know, okay Well on at the moment to more info at eaf.ie and we'll play out the piece with the casties And they are Sunday afternoon in and green in theater and here's a row bugle me, which we all know well from school Paul Thank you. Thanks