Padraic Walsh, the manager of the Fr. Peyton Centre in Attymass, with Fr. Steve and staff at the centre, which will host the launch of the Mayo Manchester Tradfest this evening (Thursday, August 2).

Mayo goes mad for trad this week

SEEMS like the whole of Mayo has gone mad for trad in the build-up to this year's Mayo Manchester Tradfest.

The marketing team for the festival, led by Alexa McCalmont, visited every corner of the county in recent weeks to hand deliver a staggering 10,000 free festival guides and erect the distinct green and red banners in the seven hubs of the festival, which stretch from Attymass in north Mayo right down to Ashford Castle, Cong, in the south and Claremorris in the east to Achill way out west.

Festival director Tony Hennigan said: “With seven hubs in Achill, Attymass, Ashford Castle, Ballina, Bonniconlon, Claremorris and Westport, it is our biggest festival to date. There are over 500 performers from Mayo and Manchester involved in more 100 events. The welcome we have received in every hub has been phenomenal, with TDs, senators, ministers and even the President of Ireland getting behind event.”

The festival, now in its sixth year, stars today (Thursday, August 2) and continues until next Wednesday (August 8), and hopes are high that this year's event will break all previous records for attendance.

This year's Mayo Manchester Tradfest features everything from Irish set dancing and sean nos dancing to jiving along with a whole range of music and singing styles.

Here we list some of the top events to look forward to over the next week.

First up is a live radio broadcast by Midwest Radio at the Fr. Peyton Centre, Attymass, from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening (Thursday) to launch the festival. Sponsored by Excel Excavations, this free event features a host of performances from award-winning musicians, singers and dancers along with a number of VIP guests.

Later today, at 9 p.m., the VIP launch concert will be held at Breaffy House Resort, Castlebar. Another free event, it brings together a host of special guests and performers, including The Ganley Sisters, Sina Theil, Joe Keegan, Marian Waldron, the Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band and Alan Keegan from Manchester United FC (the 'Voice of Old Trafford'), plus a host of special guests and performers.

The Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band's 70th anniversary concert will be held in the Achill Head Hotel tomorrow (Friday, August 3) at 9 p.m. The Manchester-based band are hoping to join some of the pipers from the island’s five world famous pipe bands in a special outdoor performance. A free concert and open session will then be staged inside the hotel with Joe Keegan and guest musicians from Scoil Acla. The evening is being hosted by Alan Keegan.

The Mayo Manchester Tradfest returns to Ballina on Saturday (August 4) to stage a special sixth anniversary concert, again hosted by Alan Keegan and sponsored by the Mayo Association Dublin. It will feature performances by the Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band, the Murphy Moore Irish Dance Academy and the Turley Duggan Academy from Mayo, along with Joe Keegan, Marian Waldron, Con Murphy, Dennis McCalmont, the Jiving Juniors and the Centre Stage Vocal Academy. Tickets can be booked online at www.ballinaartscentre.com, or telephone (096) 73593. The concert starts at 7.30 p.m.

There will be a Mayo Manchester Tradfest promenade performance at Westport House from 1 p.m. on Sunday (August 5), followed by a parade to the Grace O'Malley statue, before the festival makes its Claremorris debut with a host of musicians, singers and dancers at Claremorris Town Hall Theatre. The concert, starting at 7 p.m., will feature Joe Keegan, the Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band, Marian Waldron, Joe Beirne of Midwest Radio fame, plus local musicians Peter Gannon, Ann Morley, Rory Walsh, and Declan Burke. The Claremorris-based Turley Duggan Academy of Irish Dance will also be performing, with the evening hosted again by Alan Keegan. For tickets, log on to www.townhall.ie or telephone (094) 9310999.

The Mayo Manchester Tradfest has once more been invited to launch the Bonniconlon Show just after 12 noon on Monday (August 6). As Ireland's second biggest agricultural and gymkhana show, Bonniconlon annually attracts over 30,000 visitors to the celebration of rural Ireland. The Fianna Phadraig Pipe band will lead a parade of VIPs to the stage to officially open the show.

Later in the afternoon, at 2 p.m., the group will visit Mount Falcon to stage a special promenade perfornce in the grounds of the 100-acre estate, located just outside Ballina. The event will feature a parade by the Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band followed by performances from Joe Keegan and Marian Waldron. The afternoon will be hosted by Alan Keegan.

The Tradfest returns to the world famous Matt Molloy's in Westport for a gala concert headlined by Billow Wood, from Ballina, on Tuesday, starting at 8 p.m. Watch out for the outdoor performance by the Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band on the streets of Westport to kick-start the concert, which also features Joe Keegan and Westport's David Dee Moore. Guest musicians, singers and dancers are welcome to join in the concert. Tickets are available on www.mayomanchester.com or through Paypal, or call into the venue for details.

Finally, the Mayo Manchester Tradfest will come to a close with a private performance at Ashford Castle, Cong, on Wednesday (August 8). This performance will be for hotel guests only, but the group will be visiting Cong village later in the day to perform a flashmob performance for the general public.

For full festival listings, visit www.mayomanchester.com/events.