Le Cheile music and fun

Jason Byrne (right), Lisa Hannigan, Mundy, Declan O'Rourke and Delorentos are among the big names for the 12th Le Cheile Oldcastle Arts and Music Festival, which kicked off yesterday (Tuesday). It runs through the bank holiday weekend to Monday, August 3 and includes five nights of music on its main stage at Creans, Phantom 105.2, as well as music and comedy spread throughout Oldcastle, and workshops for children and adults on Saturday and Sunday at the Gilson School. The 2009 festival programme includes music from recent Meteor award nominee Lisa Hannigan, and Mundy on Friday night, Declan O'Rourke, Delorentos headlining on Saturday and Fight Like Apes centre stage on Sunday. The Barleyshakes head up an extended music line-up of nine acts on Monday from 4.30pm. Arie Hest from New York and Nell Bryden are only some of 30+ other acts that appear on various stages and venues throughout Oldcastle over the weekend. Hoey and The Mussels from Spain add to the international mix while the bill also includes the likes of Little Palace, Joy Booth, Gillian Tuite, Henrietta Game, Fiona Melady, while representatives of neighbouring counties include musicians such as Ever27, Eileen Tackney, Ferghal McCaul and poet Noel Monahan. Comedy this year features Jason Byrne and John Henderson, while a variety of tastes are catered for with traditional music from the Gartalony Rats in Moylagh on Wednesday and a Richard Lynch play based on the life and times of a building labourer in Ballinacree on Saturday. With an array of free events, admission to others is €5-25, and there is a limited number of all-inclusive music tickets at €100. Each year Le Cheile nominates a charity to which it makes a contribution from its ticket sales. The 2009 one is the Mother of Peace Children's Home in Illovo, South Africa, which will receive the proceeds from the Lucky Dip evening tomorrow Thursday, July 30, which features music, dance and spoken word and a world premiere of an Oldcastle based short film project that has been the source of considerable anticipation! • Call 087-6370034 for more details. • lecheile.com • myspace.com/lecheile