Castlepalooza celebrates its milestone 10th birthday this year – so we spoke to the bands, fans and cheerleaders who’ve moshed in its moat and raved on its ramparts over the last decade to find out what their highlights have been.
Cillian Stewart
Castlepalooza founder "I've got so many different memories of each festival: the stage invasion for Naughty By Nature; the time Sister Sledge and all the punters sang We are Family back in 2007; the time Mercury Rev went wandering around Tullamore and were shot at by kids with a pellet gun when they walked through the town; sparklers at Le Galaxie; all of the smiling, happy faces I see over each festival weekend – including people who have hooked up, fallen in love, been proposed to, got married or had a baby because of Castlepalooza."
Michael Pope
Frontman of Le Galaxie "Our first Castlepalooza was 2009, our first proper year as Le Galaxie. It was a revelatory experience, and one that busted our idea of what a live show could be wide open. Not only hundreds of people to see a band they had maybe only heard whispers of, but they came, they stayed, they danced and they listened. That's the kind of punter that goes to Castlepalooza. Year after year our following grew, alongside our slots, until we found ourselves headlining the main stage on a Sunday in 2013. One of the elevated experiences of our lives. Castlepalooza forever."
Derek Byrne
TXFM (formerly Phantom FM) DJ "I've attended every Castlepalooza since the first, and each year I think it gets better. With Phantom FM, we attempted to broadcast from the festival twice over those years – once from a damp room in the basement, and once from an amazing balcony high up on the castle overlooking the main stage. Both attempts were plagued with technical problems and our programme manager blamed the castle's reputation as Ireland's most haunted. Musical highlights? My favourite was when legendary DJ Norman Jay played a perfect festival set in 2010. Halfway through he played Talking Heads' Once In A Lifetime, and I've never seen a happier crowd as everyone sang along."
Emer McLysaght
Castlepalooza stalwart "The first Castlepalooza was less like a music festival and more like a lovely, oversized party in your friend's back garden – if that friend happened to own a small castle in the midlands. Everybody smiled. Nobody stole your camping chair. There was a tyre swing hanging from a tree at the main stage and everyone took turns. There were real flushing jacks with – and this was the real novelty – a seemingly endless supply of toilet paper. It's grown a lot since 2006, but it's still magical. It's small enough to still feel intimate but has grown enough to reflect its popularity."
May Kay
Fight Like Apes frontwoman "Castlepalooza is the festival that made us feel like the band we thought we were, that maybe no one else knew we were. They took a risk on us and put us on a fairly high billing on their main stage the first year we played. It put pressure on us, because people go to Castlepalooza for the bands and the buzz. They pay attention. They want to see something new. They trust the festival. It was one of the best gigs we've ever played, and it's been our favourite Irish festival ever since."
Ruth Medjber
Photographer "I think it was around 2011; I had put my camera to bed and was in the mood for divilment. When everything shut down at about 4am, I dragged everyone around me back to my car with the promise of tunes. I had just met Mick from Le Galaxie that night so of course I ordered him into the passenger seat to DJ on the tape deck. Someone else was on headlight-flashing and horn-beeping duty; it was ridiculously cheesy fun. Castlepalooza just has a different vibe than any other Irish festival. It's the perfect size to make friends with everyone."
Benny Smiles
Electronica producer/musician "The main stage of Castlepalooza 2013; 2pm; the sun was splitting the stones. It was an early slot, but it was the best place to be that afternoon – a 200-strong crowd were just getting back into gear after the night before. Every song seemed to be the right song. I was smiling away – like I do – and I could feel the audience smiling right back. It was the first time I felt like I had really connected with an entire audience. That response gave me the confidence I needed to keep going with the whole project, which has led me to where I am now as a resident producer at Camden Recording Studios, and the luck I've had with [video game] Hotline Miami 2 soundtrack placement. God bless Castle P!"
