MUSIC Enniscrone gears up for dancing festival

Enniscrone welcomes back dancing festival


Going Out
Michael Commins

ENNISCRONE, one of the scenic jewels of the province, will play host to the second Country and Irish and Céilí Dancing Festival next week. 
The beautiful Diamond Coast Hotel is the setting for the festival which gets under way this Sunday afternoon, June 13, and continues through until Thursday night, June 17.
Hundreds of people from various parts of the country are already booked into Enniscrone for the festivities.
Among those providing the music and entertainment are Lisa Stanley (who is among the guests on the Tuesday night show), Pat Jordan, the Annalee Ceili Band, Dermot Hegarty, Noel Cassidy (Longford), Catherine Darcy, Céilí Time, Gerry Walsh (Waterford), Karen O’Brien (Manchester), the Enjoy Travel Band and others.
Apart altogether from the nightly dancing, which will get under way at 9pm and continue until 1am, there will be sessions hosted by Mick Mackey from Clonmel. These have become great favourites with the patrons, and all are welcome to drop by and sing a song, play a tune, perform a recitation or whatever tickles their fancy.
Such were the roots put down by the inaugural event last year that interest this time around has blossomed. Gerry Flynn of Enjoy Travel, which organises the event, says he is delighted to be heading back to Enniscrone. “As someone who was raised in Ballina, I have always had a natural affinity with Enniscrone. It is a lovely place and provides the perfect setting for people to come along and enjoy a great few days of music and dancing in this most picturesque and relaxing small town on the Sligo coast.
“We were thrilled with the reaction to last year’s event and inundated with requests to run it again this year. A lot of people who travel with us on our other promotions [Fleadh Ibiza and Fleadh Portugal] are coming over from England, while many others are heading to Enniscrone from many parts of Ireland. Enniscrone is a very homely place and it is easy to relax and get into the mood of the area. We are looking forward to a mighty few days.”
The festival is open to all in the area who wish to ramble along and join in the celebrations. Various events are held throughout the day, including workshops and afternoon dancing. The all-day pass is €20 while the night-time pass is excellent value at just €10.