The picturesque wilds of north-west Connemara will come alive for a communal celebration of the spirit of adventure when the village of Letterfrack hosts the 15th annual Connemara Sea Week over the October holiday weekend.
A lively crew of Irish adventurers and musicians have been assembled for the three-day celebration of music, poetry and fun. With adventurers talking about their restless spirits, musicians belting it out in the pubs and lots for children, Sea Week is aimed at people of all ages.
The idea is to create space for a community to express itself in a lot of different ways. People from all over Connemara, and a lot further afield, return here every year, says Leo Hallissey, who helps to put the package together each year.
Seven distinguished speakers will reveal what spurs their own spirit of adventure. They are Mick Brogan, sailor, raconteur, and singer; Lorna Siggins, marine correspondent of The Irish Times; Tom Lawlor, former Irish Times photographer, who has taken part in many sailing adventures; climber Dermot Sommers and Frank Nugent, who joined Dermot on the 1993 Himalayan Expedition, along with poet Mary O'Malley and ecologist Mike Miller. They will speak about their adventures and collectively attempt to explore the underlying pulse which carries their somewhat restless spirits, says Mr Hallissey.
It will once again include the best of traditional music, with players from Clare, Galway and Sligo joining the locals. This year's line-up includes Jimmy Fitzgerald, Tola and Frank Custy, the McCarthy sisters, Philip Duffy and Kevin O'Brien.
Connemara Sea Week opens at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, October 24th, and continues until the following Monday evening. Contact Leo Hallissey at (095) 41034 (work) 43443 (home)