National Celtic Folk Festival gears up for record year

PREPARATIONS are well under way for what organisers say will be the biggest National Celtic Folk Festival yet, with early bird tickets to the not-to-be missed cultural experience now available.

Thousands of locals and visitors are expected the attend the festival, which will take place between June 6 and June 9 across Portarlington.

Festival director Una McAlinden said there will be plenty on offer at this year, with more than 70 workshops and events scheduled to take place over a jam-packed long weekend celebrating music, community and culture.

“When people think about our festival, some people think about bagpipes and beer, and some people think that we’re just music. We are all those things, but we are so much more,” she said.

“Our program is across the yard. There’s heaps of theatre programs, stories, words, workshops, masterclasses.”

As part of the program, renowned Irish chef Declan McGovern, who has worked in restaurants across the globe, including in Sydney under celebrated Australian chef Matt Moran, will host a number of gourmet cooking masterclasses which will teach attendees to blend fresh local produce with traditional Irish flavours.

Participants can expect to see Portarlington’s mussels on the menu, as well as an “easy to execute” Sunday roast-inspired dish that uses locally distilled gin.

“I just want to show people that you can easily make lovely food,” McGovern said.

“It looks great, but the technique behind it, it’s pretty simple if you just follow the steps.”

Raw strength and skill will again be on full display during the festival with the return of the Heavy Games, which will see some of the world’s strongest athletes take on traditional Highland events, while a special full-scale hurling match, one of the oldest field games in the world, promises a thrilling and high-intensity clash between rivalling teams.

This year, the festival has a partnership with Culture Ireland, which will see four Irish acts perform in Australia for the first time.

“We’ve got singer-songwriter Gráinne Hunt, we’ve got a techno Gaelic singer called Caoimhín, we have a young band called Tulua – who are the latest, up-and-coming band, and then we have a wild, Celtic club ‘rock your socks off’ trad band called Boxing Banjo,” Ms McAlinden said.

For more information, or to secure your tickets, head to nationalcelticfestival.com