Garda Band back for Heritage Day

BALLINA Salmon Festival has announced the return of the Garda Band to perform once again on National Heritage Day, next Wednesday (July 11).

From 2 to 4 p.m., the Garda Band will take over the main stage at Ballina Post Office with the promise of another spectacular musical performance.

In 2017, the Garda Band’s performance received national attention when they were joined on stage by Garda Alan McGinty, a Ballina native and talented tenor, in a powerful impromptu performance of the Frank Sinatra classic ‘My Way’ and the band will welcome more special guests to the stage this year.

Director of music with the band, Inspector Pat Kenny, said: “The Garda Band has been travelling to Ballina Salmon Festival for a number of years now and it’s an event we really enjoy attending. It’s an opportunity to catch up with old friends and we’re really looking forward to taking part in National Heritage Day again this year.”

Said Superintendent Joe Doherty of Ballina Garda Station: “The Garda Band is highly sought after at events all around the country so we are delighted to have them back with us again this year. They are huge attraction for locals and visitors, and I would like to thank Garda Inspector Pat Kenny for making it possible.

“National Heritage Day is a highlight of the year for all of us in Ballina and the participation of An Garda Síochána throughout the event and indeed the entire festival is an example of community engagement at its finest and most enjoyable.”

National Heritage Day attracts up to 40,000 people to Ballina every year.

The day's musical entertainment is not limited to the Garda Band, with performances in store from up and coming young Foxford band The Kerbs, Mayo Youth Orchestra, The Copperplate Céilí Band, Bofield Céilí Band, Joe Gowran, Liam O’Connor and musicians from Gnó Mhaigh Eo throughout the course of the day. Another highlight is multi-instrumentalist musician Liam O’Connor, often referred to as 'the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion'.

Ballina will become a window to the past next Wednesday as the streets come to life as a living heritage museum, complete with the sounds and smells of Ballina’s traditional market day 100 years ago.

For more information on Heritage Day and the Salmon Festival, see www.ballinasalmonfestival.ie.