Raftery Festival set to become annual event

The Raftery Festival held in Craughwell Iast Saturday was a victim of bad weather, but despite this, a diligent and committed audience attended various events which celebrated the poet's life.

The festival began at Raftery's grave in Killeeneen when Seosamh Ó Cuaig of Raidió na Gaeltachta focused on different aspects of Raftery's life, including bis politics.

Raftery had supported political agitators, including the Whiteboys and the Ribbonmen, and Seosamh efCuaig quoted from the poem dedicated to Anthony Daly, the leader of the Ribbonmen, who was hanged in April 1820. The Raidió na Gaeltachta joumalist also turned bis attention to the bitter conflict that existed between Raftery and the Ó Callanan brothers, who were also poets and whose graves Lie close by in the same graveyard.

At 4 pm in Craughwell Sommunity Hall, Paul Bradley, a fiddle-maker based in Galway, gave a talk on the history of the fiddle from the l6th century until the present day.

Later that evening there was a good turn-out for a wide ranging and comprehensive lecture by Dr Nollaig Ó Muraile of NUl, Galway on the life, times and works of Raftery. The talk concluded with a very informative question and answer session and with a number of Raftery's songs performcd by members of the audience.

The singing continued at a traditional session in Raftery's pub in Craughwell that night. The music came courtesy of Combaltas Ceoltóirí 83ireann and there was also a very lively poetry competition with the prizes going to Marty Mulligan, Michael Coy and Suzanne Ní Dhúill.

It was a successful festival and now plans are being made to make it an annual event in honour of Raftery.

An Cúradh Chonnachtach 17/3/2006