MUSIC Glen Hansard sells out in 18 minutes

Glen Hansard, whose fans logged on at dawn to purchase tickets to his show in Matt Molloy’s, Westport.

Glen Hansard gig sells out in 18 minutes


Organisers of Westport Arts Festival wonder if new Irish record has been set

As expected, Glen Hansard’s October 11 performance in the 36th Westport Arts Festival sold out fast. Nobody had expected, however, that it would be quite so fast. The online ticket store opened at 6am on Friday last, and by 6.18 the last ticket had been sold, and it’s now winging its way to the UK.
There were only 80 tickets available to see the Frames frontman in this intimate, once-off solo show in Matt Molloy’s, the singer’s homecoming gig after completing his current world tour. Clearly his legions of loyal Irish fans were chomping at the bit to get them. The delighted festival organisers are now wondering if they have made a new Irish record for the fastest-selling gig.

Cathy Davey
The Glen Hansard gig will bring the curtain down on this year’s Westport Arts Festival – an annual celebration of the arts lasting ten full days from October 1 to October 9. Gig-goers that missed out on Glen have plenty of other top-class acts to choose from on westportartsfestival.com. Cathy Davey fans shouldn’t waste any time getting their tickets for another sure-to-sell-out, strictly limited intimate gig on Friday, October 9. Fans of up-and-coming indie-rockers Ham Sandwich (the band not the food) should also take note that tickets for their October 7 show are selling fast too.

Drive-in movies
The festival schedule is so full that pre-festival events will kick off on September 24 with a week-long series of classic movies in a purpose-built drive-in cinema at Westport House, and post-festival events run up to Glen Hansard’s October 11 performance. This year the lengthy line-up includes dance, music, visual arts, circus, family-friendly activities, poetry readings, street theatre, puppet shows, interactive theatre and much more.

Other highlights
Highlights this year include: A theatrical aerial circus performance in the woods around Westport House by Fidget Feet; six hours of mayhem with the cream of contemporary Irish heavy metal bands; the sketch comedy of Foil, Arms and Hog fresh from a run at the Edinburgh festival; Cork alternative rock band Fred; storyteller, actor and musician Little John Nee telling a tale of emigration; an exploration of globalisation’s affect on indigenous peoples by award-winning photographer Jackie Nickerson; music from the Kerry tradition with Brendan Begley and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh; Philomena Lynott reading from her book about Phil … the list is as long as it is varied.

Organised entirely by volunteers, the annual Westport Arts Festival has been a fixture in the Irish arts calendar since 1976, making it one of the longest-running festivals in the country. It has proved itself time and again to be a beacon in Clew Bay for both aspiring and internationally famous artists, performers, writers and musicians, giving them an opportunity to showcase their talents to a passionate West coast audience. This year’s beacon is shining bright, and it looks as though appreciative audiences will be guided to the town from near and far.  

For more information or to buy tickets, visit westportartsfestival.com. To keep up with the latest news find the festival at facebook.com/westportarts or twitter.com/westportarts
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