Isle of Man: Manx Musicians Play at Europe's Biggest Inter-Celtic Festival!

The phenomenally successful Lorient Inter-Celtic Festival will burst into life at the beginning of this month to entertain an audience of almost one million people, with an increased Manx presence and the ever popular Manx pavilion ready to welcome those who pour into the port of Lorient, Brittany.

Billed as Europe's largest Celtic festival, with 200 events and 5,000 performers, it's a ten day extravaganza which gives the Isle of Man a perfect opportunity to promote both cultural and business opportunities in a vibrant setting of music, song and dance.

It's been a busy time for Ealee Sheard (peripatetic teacher with the Manx Language Unit) co-ordinating all of the Manx performers and artists as part of her role as official delegate.

Festival Director, Lisardo Lombardia, recently attended the open air sitting of Tynwald as an invited guest of the Isle of Man Government.

For this year's festival, there's a return visit by The Mollag Band, with the timely release of their new EP Afloat - likely to attract the attention of European audiences, and northern based dance group Ny Fennee, with their flair for choreography and eye-catching traditional costume.

Manx music is an important element of the Lorient Festival, with a cross-section of some of our most talented musicians heading to Europe, including Manx Gaelic singer Ruth Keggin, who will perform with her trio and in concert with Celtic music legends Julie Fowlis and Mary Black. Ruth will also be joined by fellow members of the exciting Norwegian Manx Project, fiddle maestro Tom Callister, keyboard wizard David Kilgallon and their Norwegian counterparts, Hardanger fiddler Erlend Apneseth and singer Margit Myhr, to bring their unique Celtic/Norse musical fusion to a wider audience.

Newly formed band Mec Lir will also be heading to Brittany, promising something a little more up-beat in tempo, with some well-known faces from the local scene; Tom Callister, Adam Rhodes, David Kilgallon and Greg Barry with a new EP to boot.

Manx blues guitarist, Davy Knowles, will also be there with DAM Productions to record footage for his documentary Island Bound, sponsored by Island of Culture, the Isle of Man Arts Council and Culture Vannin.

But it's not all about music, with Peel based artist Nicola Dixon presenting a selection of work based on both her Celtic and Norse knot work and her distinctive maritime scenes.

Another bonus for festival goers will be the Manx pavilion, operated by Peter Skelly for Culture Vannin and this year supported by Visit Isle of Man, promoting Manx produce and offering a generous selection of tourism information about the Island to the huge crowds who attend the festival.

www.festival-interceltique.com

(Photos of Mec Lir and Ruth Keggin courtesy of Phil Kneen)

Valerie Caine
© August 2014

(Courtesy of Manx Tails)