McAleese to open celebration of Irish culture as festival hits Cork
Up to 10,000 people have arrived in Cork for Oireachtas na Gaeilge events with highlights including a special show by comedian Des Bishop, and the Steip sean-nós dancing finals which will be broadcast live on TG4 from the Opera House.
“The Oireachtas last took place in Cork in 2005 and was such a great success that it is still talked about by both locals and visitors,” Oireachtas na Gaeilge director Liam Ó Maolaodha said. “We are very much looking forward to returning to Cork and the newly renovated Rochestown Park Hotel and welcoming President Mary McAleese, who this year will be officially opening the festival.”
The Oireachtas festival, which celebrates the Celtic festival of Samhain, attracts lovers and performers of the traditional Irish arts from all over the world.
Celebrating its 111th year, the festival has received record numbers of entrants for its broad range of traditional Irish arts competitions, including sean-nós dancing, singing and storytelling.
An Oireachtas art exhibition entitled Aisling will also be staged in the Cork Vision Centre until November 27 with a prize fund of €5,000 in categories of painting, sculpture, glass, texture and drawing. The sean-nós dancing competition has attracted record entries with more than 60 children competing in the under-age section alone.
The climax of the Oireachtas’ three-day competitive programme is the prestigious Corn Uí Riada sean-nós singing competition, where champions and challengers battle it out in a variety of regional styles for the title. The competition, held in honour of composer and founder of Cor Chúil Aodha Seán Ó Riada, will take place on the Saturday of the festival. It has been won by some of the best known sean-nós singers, including Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Lillis Ó Laoire and Máirtín Tom Sheánín.
Seán’s son, Peadar, director of Cor Chúil Aodha, is the chairmam of the local Oireachtas organising committee.
Oireachtas events began with a sports day at Nemo Rangers grounds on Sunday.
The festival got under way with a parade through the city and a ceilí mór at the Rochestown Park Hotel.
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