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The
SiarSceal Festival is a Historical, Literary, Bilingual and Rambling Festival
hosted annually in a different venue, inspired by the culture and heritage of
Roscommon’s River Basins.
Friday 3rd April
7.30pm – 10.30pm SiarSceal
Launch/Exhibition & Production
Patrons Address: Richie Farrell, Roscommon
County Council County Librarian and Donall MacAodha, Roscommon County Council
Irish Officer. Proprietor Jim Callery will talk about the Famine Museum and his
association with the Gross’elle Irish Memorial National heritage Site in
Canada. Caroilin Callery will dramatise the story of Dennis Mahon the 1st
landlord to be murdered during the famine with voice projecting the many voices
encountered during this period in Strokestown House.
• Guest Speaker:
Canadian Ambassador Patrick Binns, will launch SiarSceal Festival Exhibition
with traditional cutting of the bow and declaring the collaborative
open.
• Kerian Fury will read from his latest collection ‘The History House’
poems directly written about Strokestown Famine Museum.
Featuring
Strokestown transition year students participating in the exhibition with
bilingual poetry and paintings in response to the in-house exhibit (Marthe
MacLeod mixed media collection,) reflecting also on the famine ships as they
sojourned to Canada and more recent emigration stories.
• Also especially for
inclusion in Siarsceal are famine themed 'Painting Stories' by junior school
children, facilitated by painter Clare Kelly and Gwen Bond in Elphin and
Strokestown Libraries, prior to the Festival.
• A bilingual poetry music recital
by the Strokestown Students will also feature during this evening’s
performance. Guest poet and author Hazel McIntyre will read and talk about her
Canadian roots, traditional musical interludes with George Patrick Eggleston and
others.
Saturday 4th April
8.30pm – 10.30pm Production Launch &
Reception
Patrons Address: Richie Farrell & Donall MacAodha. SiarSceal
National Hanna Greally Poetry themed competition winners will be presented with
their trophy and other Awards by the Mayor or Roscommon Michael McGreal. Read
poetry competition guidelines HERE.
Guest Poets Reading: Irish Bilingual
Poet Collette Nic Aodha, Michael O’Dea –Reading and Visual. Bilingual Poetry to
Musical Recital from the Strokestown transition students and finally community
poets with themed poetry invited back to read at the Open Mike. Traditional
Interludes included.
Easter Sunday 12th April
Boarding 4.20pm then 'till
6.30pm.
Moon River Cruiser Poetry Recital to Music with
Star Attraction – Special Guest will be Sligo poet Mary Branley
Saturday 18th April
The Thatch Pub, SiarSceal Elphin Poetry
Recital to Music with Open Mike and Traditional Session with Eugene Anderson and
others.
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