Shake off the shadows of winter and head to the uplifting IMBOLC International Music Festival in Derry~Londonderry.
Taking its name from the Celtic festival of spring, the IMBOLC International Music Festival (26 January – 4 February) is an eight-day celebration of music, arts and culture set in Derry~Londonderry.
This year some twenty-five musicians from Ireland, Canada, India, Wales and South-Korea will be performing their own brand of folk and traditional music across a range of events that bring new and innovative performances to the city.
The Sounds of Solidarity concert will feature a number of musicians including Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater, Dublin band Kila, and Belfast singer-songwriter Grainne Holland. Citadels of the Sun will be an evening of Irish and Indian fusion music while po(e)sies will experiment with the ancient poetry/song form Hyangga in a bilingual Korean/English performance.
IMBOLC Unsigned will once again give new and emerging artists a stage to promote their music and there will also be a number of workshops in a range of instruments including fiddle, harp, Uilleann pipes, banjo and bodhran.
St Brigid’s Day, 1 February, which marks the beginning of spring in the Irish Christian calendar, will be marked by the Brigid 1500 concert to celebrate the creative contribution of women to arts and culture.
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The Derry Walls.
The Armagh Rhymers, a traditional music and theatre ensemble, will also perform a special St Brigid’s Day mix of masked music and storytelling capturing the spirit of the Wren boys.
With lunchtime sessions, a session trail around various venues in the city, and late-night performances at the Festival Club, there will be music to be enjoyed every hour of the day.
For those who want to have a go at traditional step dancing there will be a sean-nós workshop followed by a dance performance by Mary McGuiggan.
The festival closes with a performance of A Deep Ravine, Reflections on a Divided Ireland in the city’s historic Guildhall.
In between enjoying the concerts and sessions, visitors to Derry~Londonderry should make sure to explore the city’s rich heritage. It is the only completely walled city on the island of Ireland and one of the finest in Europe, so a walk along the 400-year-old walls is a good place to start.
A visit to one or more of its museums will reveal the city’s complicated history or why not do a guided walking tour of the city’s street art where recent history is dramatically captured in its famous murals.
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