Irish Festival

Thousands expected at Irish Festival in London

Country Roads
Michael Commins

LONDON is gearing up for the big Irish Festival in Roundwood Park, Willesden, on Sunday, July 27.
Topping the bill for the major outdoor event will be Big Tom and The Mainliners and the afternoon event is expected to attract several thousand people with many making the journey over from Ireland.
For many years, the London–Irish Festival was the largest open air gathering of Irish people in the UK and was revived last September after an absence of ten years by a group of London-based Irish businessmen and musicians.
Sharing the bill with Big Tom and The Mainliners will be Ray Lynam and Philomena Begley who are coming together for a rare appearance. They were the winners of the coveted top European Country Music Duet award in successive years at the famous Wembley International Festival of Country Music in the late 1970s. Also on the bill are Robert Mizzell and the Country Kings, TR Dallas, Seamus Moore and the JCD Band and London-based acts, the Slim Attraction and Mary O‘Rourke.
The organisers are again providing children’s entertainment, some of which will be free. Several attractions have been specially booked for this year’s Family Day in the Park, plus additional food outlets located around the festival arena.
Tickets bought in advance are just £20. Admission on the day will be £25.
Children up to the age of 14 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free.
Roscommon native, John Dunning, one of the main organisers of the festival, says the event will be an opportunity to bring together the Irish from both sides of the Irish Sea.
“This event provides us with an opportunity to celebrate our heritage and keep the Irish culture alive in the UK. We hope the festival will give today’s generation of Irish in Britain and Ireland the opportunity of sharing their common heritage with friends and family.”
The festival looks set to attract big interest this side of the Irish Sea with several travel companies already organising special weekend packages. Tickets can be booked online through Ticketweb.

Kevin’s Irishtown date

THE annual Kevin Prendergast Party Night in Bourke’s lounge in Irishtown will be held on Friday, August 1. The event has become a regular on the social calendar for many friends of Kevin who journey to the venue from all over the region.
“Kay and the County Stars will be there to support me as usual and Noreen Burke will also be down from Galway. We intend to add some new acts to the show this year so it should be another great night of music and song in Irishtown. There’s always a special atmosphere in Bourke’s on the night and you never know who might ramble along,” says Kevin.