Ash, Morcheeba, the Waterboys, MJ Cole and Trevor Nelson are among the bands billed for the Heineken Green Energy Festival which rolls into Galway on the June bank holiday weekend.
The Castlegar Sportsgrounds, on the city outskirts, is the venue for the festival's big top and the programme kicks off with Ash, one of Northern Ireland's finest musical exponents, on Friday night, June 1st. The group shares the stage with Muse, which won a string of awards last year and has sold more than half a million copies of its debut album.
Morcheeba, best known for Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, play on Saturday, and Ocean Colour Scene returns to Galway for Sunday, June 3rd. The regrouped Waterboys play on Monday, June 4th, bringing the popular weekend festival to a close. Several acts are also performing in the Black Box Theatre that weekend, including MJ Cole on Saturday night, and Trevor Nelson on Sunday. Tickets for the festival are available on the Ticketmaster freephone 1890 925 100 and through retail outlets including Zhivago Records in Shop Street, Galway.
`GREEN energy without the Heineken" is how Leo Hallissey is billing his annual "Bog Week Madness" in Letterfrack, north-west Connemara, which begins next Friday, May 25th, and extends over the bank holiday weekend.
The programme opens with one of the "Nine Friday" gigs in Letterfrack National School on Friday night. Organised for the last Friday of every month, the event is a collaboration between local singers, dancers and musicians and "the best of outside music", and is recorded by Connemara Community Radio under the "baton" of Josephine De Courcey and Grainne O'Malley. This one will include Mick Kinsella on harmonica, Damian Gallagher on guitar, singers Phil and Jackie Coyne and a group from Lettergesh National School.
Josephine Marshe, the Clare box player, will run a workshop and there will be music from the likes of Sean Tyrrell, Liam Lewis, John Nee, Mary Finn, Tommy McCrudden and Sile Staunton.
On Sunday next, May 27th, the Conamara Fun Run over five kilometres sets off from Letterfrack at 2.30 p.m., with all money raised going to Youth in Action for projects in north-west Connemara. After the race, a sports will be held in Tullycross village. Other sporting events are planned for the following week.
The highlight of the Whit weekend is the Conamara Walkabout, which will take place on June 2nd, 3rd and 4th, starting at 10.30 a.m. at Letterfrack National School.
The cost for the Whit weekend is £35, and more information is available from Leo Hallissey at (095) 41034 or 43443, or e-mail: lfrack@eircom.net