September 2012

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The first Valentia Island Music Festival is on this weekend 14th - 16th September. The nice folk in the Knightstown coffee shop and bookshop have put a lot of energy into putting on a music festival which is probably going to take off as one of the festivals of the future. An island has a completely different atmosphere to the mainland, even though it is accessible by bridge and ferry, and will , I imagine,have its own distinct charm. The weather is pretty settled so far as its possible to foresee, and there are no tempests forecast for the weekend
(I got that a bit wrong! there was a tempest on Saturday night, but Sunday turned into a perfect day)

The next major Happening is the Cill Rialig Art Fest in Ballinskelligs 20th -23rd September. It is a celebration to mark 21 years since the founding of the artists village and project, and all the artists who have ever had residencies there have been invited. There is a real buzz around as installations are planned in the local garage, the church, the ruined abbey, the artists village and on the beach. A currach is being built, to be launched from the beach, a fire festival is planned, with floating crystal balls and glass installations. The festival will be opened by the Minister for the Arts on Culture Night, 21 st September