10,000 flock to town’s cultural festival as bumper turnout yields €5.5m

THE country’s premier Irish cultural festival, Oireachtas na Samhna, which came to a close in Killarney yesterday, will return to the Co Kerry town next year.

Upwards of 10,000 people attended the five-day event for Irish speakers, filling hotels and guesthouse and bringing a €5.5 million off-season bonanza to Killarney.

An Oireachtas spokesperson said the festival was a huge success, with lots of impromptu music sessions as well as competitions.

A new generation of sean-nós singers and dancers proved the traditional arts are alive and well, with some outstanding performances in the packed INEC auditorium, at the Gleneagle Hotel.

The climax of the Oireachtas competition programme was the prestigious Corn Uí Riada sean-nós singing competition which was won by Nollaig Ní Laoire from the Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht, in Co Meath.

Gearoid O Dubháin, from Cill Chiaráin, in Connemara, was crowned sean-nós dancing champion in a highly competitive final on Saturday afternoon. He is the son of renowned dancer Seamus Devanny.

This type of dancing has been experiencing a revival in recent years and the “Steip” sean-nós dancing finals brought the crowds to their feet.

Now in its 113th year, the Oireachtas had a record number of entrants, aged from nine to 90, for its wide range of competitions.

Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Pat Carey said there was a bright future for the Irish language which was being spoken by an increasing number of young people, especially in urban areas such as Dublin and Belfast.

He also paid tribute to native Irish speakers for their “positive outlook on the world”.

Kerry County Council launched its second Scéim Gaeilge at the Oireachtas, aimed at promoting the use of its services through Irish.

Deputy mayor of Kerry, Marie Moloney, said since the Irish Action Plan was implemented in 2001, the council has made large advances in relation to its goal.

There are nominated Irish officers within each department, staff are provided with Irish language classes, while information produced by the local authority, such as signage, policy documents and forms, are all provided bilingually.