Con Curtin’s 16th Annual Festival Underway in Brosna

Members of the Brosna Comhaltas CCE pictured at the launch of the 2016 Con Curtin Music Festival which takes place in Brosna on June 24th, 25th & 26th. F l-r: Aoife O'Carroll, Cormac Murphy, Amy O'Sullivan. B l-r: Gerard Curtin and Evelyn Healy (Con Curtin committee) with Nicole and Emma O'Carroll. Photograph: John Morris — Members of the Brosna Comhaltas CCE pictured at the launch of the 2016 Con Curtin Music Festival which takes place in Brosna on June 24th, 25th & 26th. Fronr from left: Aoife O’Carroll, Cormac Murphy, Amy O’Sullivan. Back row: Gerard Curtin and Evelyn Healy, committee with Nicole and Emma O’Carroll. Photograph: John Morris

The annual Con Curtin Traditional Music Festival, which kicked off on this Friday evening, June 24th. is now in its 16th year. A suggestion by former TD, Jimmy Deenihan back in 2001 the festival has been attracting the finest musicians from home and abroad ever since and this year won’t be any different.

Each year, the village becomes a hive of activity for the last weekend in June in honour of the late Sliabh Luachra fiddle player.

Top Class Tutors

Top class tutors will facilitate a range of music workshops on Saturday the 25th from 11am to 2.30pm.

Also on Saturday, the best of Ireland’s accordion players will battle it out for the Aenie O’Connell Memorial Trophy and €500 in prize money at 3.30pm.

The local church will be the venue for the traditional mass at 8pm that evening.

Members of Brosna Comhaltas Ceolteóirí Éireann branch pictured at the launch of the 2016 Con Curtin Music Festival which takes place in Brosna this weekend. Included are: committee members, Mairead Curtin and Daniel Woods with: Ruairí Sheehan, Danny Hickey and Connor and Kate Lenihan. Photograph: John Morris

Great Family Day

Sunday is a great family day with busking competitions for U-11, U-15 and over 15 starting at 1.30pm in the village. Then the mighty Stríolan Ceili band will raise the roof at the ceilí commencing in the Parish Hall at 3pm.

A pub trail including the best of traditional music runs all across the weekend! Definitely dates for the diaries!

Follow the festival on facebook or check out our website www.concurtin.com for more. Further information: Mairead Corridan: 087- 95 29 576.

You can hear an RTÉ Radio One documentary The Balloon in Brosna on Con Curtin (1925 – 2009) which was made by Peter Woods and Liam O’Brien in June 2005. Click on the link here to hear it:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2009/0521/645978-the_balloon_in_brosna2