Crimlin groups wow audiences at international music festival
THREE groups from Mayo who travelled to Viseu in northern Portugal have returned home after an unforgettable experience at the Europeade International Folk Music and Dance Festival.
Europeade is an annual event which is held in different cities throughout Europe and this year’s event attracted over 5,000 participants.
The three groups, Crimlin Batafada Pipe Band, BataRua, a traditional music group, and Bataóg, a youth traditional music group, are all part of Crimlin Community Arts. Over 30 members of the group travelled altogether and were the only Irish groups at the festival.
The groups kicked off their gigs with three performances in the magnificent Cathedral Square in Viseu.
The next day was a very busy one, with BataRua taking part in a morning concert and afternoon stage performance, Bataóg performing at the historic Largo Pintor Gata and Crimlin Batafada Pipe Band wowing the crowds with a number of traditional sets in the afternoon. Both the pipe band and BataRua also played at the more informal Europeade by Night event in the Mercado Municipal which gave them an opportunity to jam with some of the other groups and to exchange tunes and techniques.
Two members of the pipe band and Bataóg - Rebecca Murray and Louise Redmond - were also invited to a welcoming ceremony by the Mayor of Viseu and were presented with mementos from the city.
On day three all of the 200 plus groups attending the festival paraded through the medieval streets of Viseu. The Mayo groups were very well received by the thousands of spectators who gave them a warm welcome. In the evening the Crimlin Pipers and BataRua played to an audience of several thousand at the Europeade Ball, one of the highlights of the festival.
The following day BataRua had an unscheduled performance at the festival’s closing event. The Mayor of Viseu was so impressed with their performance at the ball that he requested an extra performance before they returned home. The group were delighted to comply and were led on stage again to the sound of the bagpipes.
The groups would like to acknowledge the warm welcome they received from all the residents of Viseu and in particular the assistance they received from their guide Lucia Morgado. Lucia went out of her way to make things easy for the groups and was a huge part in making the trip such a positive experience.
* Crimlin Community Arts will restart piping, drumming and samba classes in September for beginners and improvers - details shortly on their Facebook page, Batafadaband, or from (086) 8202883.