BY CAROL GILBERT
THE inaugural Fastnet Maritime
and Folk Fest takes
place over the weekend of
June 15th to 17th next and
promises to be another great
festival based in Ballydehob.
The festival will feature maritime
and other folk music
with a range of sea songs,
shanties, dance, craft displays,
workshops and much more.
Groups are already booked
in from Wales, England and
Holland and there's plenty of
entertainment for all including
a sea song writing competition,
busking, pub music,
gigs, French dancing and
singing and Irish Trad sessions
galore.
Weekend workshops include:
Matt Cranitch, fiddle;
Jackie Daly, button accordion;
Tomas Wiegandt, percussionNorman Collins's workshop
includes understanding harmony,
chords and its relationship
to melody and Andy Kenna's
workshop is on John
Masefield's sea poems, set to
music. All workshops may be
booked in advance online or
by telephoning 028 37534.
Cathy Cook and Dick Miles
are the force behind this event
and are quick to point out
they have support from lots of
local people and organisations.
Dick said, 'Barry
O'Brien of the Irish Whip has
been very helpful as has Vincent
Coughlan of Coughlan's
bar and so many people have
come on board.'
Dick was also involved in
the Ballydehob Jazz Festival,
which was a roaring success
this year. His love of music inspired
him to organise a festival
which included folk musicfrom around the globe as well
as including Irish traditional
music. Already under way is a
poetry writing competition
for the two Ballydehob national
schools. The judge of the
winning poem about the sea
will be none other than celebrated
author, Alice Taylor.
There's also an art competition
for younger children and
the judge in this case is
renowned local artist Carol
James.
Competitions and prizes
During the festival there
will also be busking competitions
and prizes for the bestdressed
pirates, children and
adults, as well as a song writing
competition.
'I will be singing some of
the works of Cicely Fox Smith.
I have set two of her poems to
music and one of them is
called 'Old Fastnet',' explained
Dick.
Dick Miles has strong maritime
family connections as
his grandfather sailed on the
Thermopylae, the tea clipper
that raced against the Cutty
Sark. His grandfather played
the fiddle as well and, for
many years, Dick played the
UK's clubs and maritime festivals.
When he came to Ballydehob
20 years ago, Dick was intrigued
with the name of the
Sandboat pub and realised
there was a maritime tradition
in Ballydehob. He
learned that the sandboats
are here because several families,
including the Levis family,
were employed through a
19th-century government
scheme to collect sand and
seaweed which was then taken
up country and used as fertiliser.
There's a great line-up of
musicians over the weekend
including the group Free Spirit.
Free Spirit played at the
Top of the Coom pub, Ireland's
highest pub, which was
sadly burned down recently.