MUSIC Turning the wheels of West Fest

GEARING UP Dónal Byrne, West Fest organiser; Piaras Ó Reilly of MAYO TV, which will broadcast live from the event (see story below); and Finbarr Burke, West Fest organiser.

Link-ups, line-ups and Limos


Trevor Quinn

“There’s a nice buzz around the place. It’s building up very nicely,” chief organiser of West Fest Donal Byrne muses, ruminating on the music festival, which is hitting east Mayo on the weekend of June 4 and 5.
In a few weeks time, the sleepy rural hinterland of Aghamore will be transformed. Crowds of music lovers will gather in droves; camper vans will descend; tents will be pitched; a covered, 5,000-capacity marquee will be erected; major Irish acts and VIPs will be transported around in luxury Limos and by helicopter. (Donal says the identity of the ‘special guests’ who are arriving by helicopter is a closely guarded secret. He is giving little away.)

Ozzie link up
Aghamore residents here and abroad will be agog. A special live Skype linkup is being organised, so that Aghamore emigrants can feel a part of the weekend music festival. “I’m 23 years of age and 90 per cent of the people I socialise with or drink with are over 30. Most of my friends in the area have gone to Australia or America and I’ve seen them all leave. I had a mortgage so I decided to stay.
“There’s a large Aghamore contingent in Australia and they’re all very disappointed that they are going to miss such a big day in the history of the community, so we’ve decided to set up a Skype linkup with them so we can communicate with them for a couple of hours and make them feel a part of things.”

Barn to marquee
The idea for West Fest grew from a barn dance that was held two years ago. It attracted 1,200 people and raised €10,000 for Mayo/Roscommon Hospice. Last year, the event was held in Coney Island Bar, which is owned by Liam Elwood, who helped organise it along Finbarr Burke. It raised more than €40,000. Byrne says: “Liam, Finbarr and me came together and thought about how to maximise the potential of the event. We all were aware of Electric Picnic and Oxegen, and we felt there was an opening in the west for a music festival.”
Laughing, he says: “We may have bitten off more than we can chew but its all good, and its keeping us out of the pub!” The community council and the Mayo/Roscommon Hospice (the chief benefactor of West Fest) are helping with the huge amount of organisation that an event like this needs. More than 70 local people will be employed, earning generous wages – almost twice the minimum wage. Demand for accommodation is at an all time high, with hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs in the Aghamore, Ballyhaunis, Knock and Kiltimagh areas all reporting brisk trade.
Byrne says most of the Aghamore community have rowed in behind West Fest. “Ninety-nine per cent of people are very happy that we are staging the event. There were one or two people when we first proposed the idea who were a small bit sceptical, but once we outlined our safety plans and our traffic plans they were reassured. Ninety-nine per cent of people have been very positive. It will be a great boost for the area.”

Top-class line-up
Headliners Imelda May (pictured), The Coronas, The Republic of Loose, Damien Dempsey, Bagatelle and Sharon Shannon are sure to pull in a big crowd. Byrne says: “None of our acts are from outside the country, and we were keen to support Irish acts. Bar The Script and U2, we probably have the top three acts in Ireland playing at West Fest, so we’re absolutely delighted.”
Byrne says that some Irish living in the US are travelling over for the festival. Knowing the appeal the event would have for the Irish abroad, the organisers are considering the idea of bringing a similar event to America and Australia. “We hope to make it an annual event. If it is a success, we are hoping to make it in to a franchise and bring it to Melbourne and New York – we could bring a little piece of Ireland to the people who aren’t able to come home for it.”

Elsewhere on mayonews.ie
MUSIC Mayo TV to broadcast from West Fest
COMPETITION WIN WEST FEST TICKETS
MUSIC West Fest music festival line-up