2012 Festival Guide
Irish Dancing
Radisson Blu Hotel, Saturday 3rd (Craobh Comórtaisí - Pre-Entry) & Sun 4th March 2012
English Verse Speaking
Sligo Southern Hotel Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March 2012
Traditional Music
Southern Hotel, Sligo, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March 2012
Comórtaisí Gaeilge
Sligo City Hotel, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March 2012
Instrumental and Vocal Music
The Model, The Mall, Sligo, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March 2012
Drama
Hawk's Well Theatre, Sunday 1st until Wednesday 4th April 2012
New for 2012 - Sean Nós Dancing Competitions
Weekend 24th/25th March 2012
• Under 12 years
• 12-15 years
• 15-18 years
• Corn Cos Cos over 18 years
Entry fee €4 per Competition - Competitors to perform one dance.
Not to exceed 3 mins. Music of own choice.
Entries to: Deirdre Cox, Copes Mountain, Castlegal, Colgagh P.O., Co. Sligo
Tel: 0863097596
ENTRIES TAKEN UP TO START OF COMPETITIONS
Orchestral Manoeuvres
The R.I.A.M are offering Four Scholarships to their Summer Academy for orchestra. These Scholarships will be awarded by the Adjudicator at the 2012 Feis.
Full details will be announced lated.
Feis Shligigh honours Peter Horan
Peter Horan was born in Killavil on 25th June 1926. He grew up in a house full of music and singing. His mother, Margaret Horan (nee Davey), who played the fiddle and melodeon, started him on the tin whistle when he was just four years old. His father was a fine traditional singer. By the age of thirteen he was an accomplished traditional musician and he won first prize at Gurteen Feis in 1939 playing a flute, which he borrowed from Tom Brennan of Spurtown. Much of this youth was spent absorbing the music of older players from the locality and listening to the '78 records' of Michael Coleman and James Morrison.
Peter was also an accomplished singer with a fine tenor voice and by the age of fourteen his repertoire included many od John McCormack's songs.
He began playing with Dick Brennan while he was in his teens and this musical partnership continued for many years.
In 1959 Ciaran MacMathuna visited South Sligo to record for his radio programme—"The Job of Journey work". Peter was recorded playing the flute and also with the fiddle player, Fred Finn. Following this peter formed a musical partnership, which lasted until Fred's death in 1986. Tunes like Fred Finn' Reel, The Boys of the Lough, the Killavil Jig and the Humours of Ballyconnell became synonymous with the playing of Peter and Fred. Two years after Finn's death in January 1986, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri released the LP "Music Of Sligo".
He was a member of the Glenview Ceili Band which played at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in 1960.
In recent years he formed a musical partnership with Gerry Harrington and they recorded two CDs together.
Peter travelled extensively playing music in Britain and in North America. In 2002 he was the recipient
Of the Lifetime Achievement Award by TG4. He was awarded an honorary Masters Degree by University College Galway. These awards gave national recognition to Peter for his contribution to Irish Traditional Music. Although in failing health, Peter attended the launch of the Comhaltas Archive in the National Gallery in Dublin in April 2010. His death in October 2010 marked the end of an era in the Traditional music world of the North West. His funeral was one of the largest ever witnessed in South Sligo with musicians travelling from all over Ireland to pay their respects. He was buried on Tuesday October 19th 2010 in Gurteen Cemetry.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam uasal.
Article by kind permission of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
Please see the Traditional Music Section, event 21T The Peter Horan Memorial Cup for details of the 2012 Event.
About Feis Shligigh
Feis Shligigh was founded in 1903 as a Gaelic Feis for Connacht. The aims are the revival of our national Language and Heritage. Dr. Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland, adjudicated the Irish Language Competitions in those early days.
After a few years the Feis lapsed until 1929 and since then has continued to grow from year to year to the present day. All sections of the Feis ran concurrently during Easter Week until 2006 when, because of increasing numbers of competitors, it now takes place over 3 weekends before Easter ending with 4 days of Drama on the Wednesday of Holy Week.
Presentation to Michael Flatley, June 14th, 2010
Pictured above: Michael Flatley receiving a presentation to mark his contribution to Irish Music and dance. Pictured presenting the award are Kevin Carroll, Feis General Secretary & Phil Donnelly, Newbridge Silverware.
When Michael Flatley visited Sligo recently Feis Shligigh made a presentation to him in recognition of his contribution to Irish Music and Dance
On making the presentation, Kevin Carroll, General Secretary of the Feis said "Feis Shligigh was founded in 1929 and is dedicated to the promotion of Irish Culture -- in particular the Irish language, music and dance. For over 80 years we have held annual competitions in Sligo town. Our Irish dancing competitions have always been the cornerstone of the Feis, headlined by our flagship competition, The Madame Markievicz Cup. The "Madame" as we call it, is the highlight of our Feis and has drawn competitors from all over the world, and we are here today to honour its most famous winner.
Michael Flatley danced for, and won, the Madame Markevicz Cup three times -in 1975, 1976 and 1977 winning it outright in the process... a feat which has not been repeated since!!! In the years since Michael danced at the Feis, he has gone on to be an International Superstar. He has succeeded in bringing Irish Dance and Music to a whole new generation as well as to millions of people from around the globe.
We, at Feis Shligigh are now seeing the effects of this popularisation with a resurgence in interest in Irish Cultural competitions -- in particular in Irish Dancing. 2010 was our most successful Feis in decades both in the numbers of dancers competing and in the standard of dancing. Significantly, this year saw the highest number of entries in the Madame Markievicz Cup for 15 years and our winner -- Cathal Keaney from the Hession School Galway, went on to be placed 4th in the World Championship in Glasgow.
Michael, in recognition of your contribution to Irish Dance and Music, and to thank you for your support of Feis Shligigh throughout the years, we are delighted to make this presentation to you. This silver trophy was made and sponsored by Newbridge Silverware, and I would like, now, to welcome Newbridge's marketing manager, Phill Donnelly here today. Now Phill will join me in presenting the trophy to Michael".
