Music festival to honour Ó Riada

ONE of Ireland’s greatest musical heroes, the late composer Seán Ó Riada, is to be commemorated with a festival in his adopted home of Cúil Aodha.

The Cork Gaeltacht village is set to become a cultural mecca over the August bank holiday weekend when Féile na Laoch, or festival of heroes, encompassing pop and Irish traditional music, opera, poetry, drama and dance marks 40 years since Ó Riada’s death, as well as what would have been his 80th birthday.

Christy Moore and Glen Hansard will share an open-air all-night stage with opera soprano Cara O’Sullivan, sean nós singer Josie Sheáin Jeaic Mac Donncha and jazz guitarist Louis Stewart.