A street pageant celebrating the art of hurling is to be a major feature of the Kilkenny Arts Festival, which takes place next month with an expanded format.
As one of the eight designated millennium festivals this year, the event, formerly known as Kilkenny Arts Week, has received increased funding and will include a number of free, open-air performances.
A centrepiece of the festival, which runs from August 13th to 22nd, will be "The Art of the Game", a "massive community celebration" of the role of hurling in the life of Kilkenny.
The event, on Saturday, August 21st, will feature a street parade involving scores of dancers and performers, representatives of GAA clubs in Kilkenny and the Artane Band. This will be followed by the showing, on a giant, outdoor screen, of a specially-commissioned film celebrating a century of hurling in the county.
Also on view will be a 20ft sculpture of the county's best-known hurler, D.J. Carey, by a kinetic sculptor, Kilkenny-born Patrick O'Reilly.
"We have our fingers crossed that when the event is held, Kilkenny will be preparing for another trip to Croke Park for the All-Ireland final," said the event administrator, Ms Maureen Kennelly.
The ESB "Big Drum", which was built especially for the millennium festivals, will make its appearance on the opening night. But while the organisers say there is a new emphasis on fun and accessibility, the festival will include the usual "cosmopolitan mixture" of music, theatre, literature and film.
