Other Voices X Féile Róise Rua | 15 May 2021

Other Voices X Féile Róise Rua | 15 May 2021

April 28, 2021

We are delighted to announce we are teaming up with the wonderful Féile Róise Rua to bring you a musical livestream like no other this May

This May, Féile Róise Rua and Other Voices will collapse distance between your homes and Arranmore Island with an evening of inspiring perfromaces by some of the world's greatest musicians as part of Féile Róise Rua 2021!

Now in its third year, Féile Róise Rua was set up in 2018 as a voluntary community based festival to revive the local music and song tradition on the island, in particular the music of local singer and song collector Róise Rua. This year Other Voices will help share the magic of the festival with a very special livestream at 8pm on 15 May from The Glen Hotel, Arranmore Island, Co Donegal.

Watch on YouTube

Féile Róise Rua X OV | Steve Cooney, Radie Peat, Griogair Labhruidh, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh + more

During the livestream we will bring you to Arranmore Island to celebrate the great Róise Rua with us through an intimate music session with some of Ireland and Scotland's finest artists including Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Steve Cooney, Nia Byrne, Thomas McCarthy, Brian Danny Minnie, Anna Bean Uí Ghallachóir, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Griogair Labhruidh and Radie Peat (Lankum).

Set a reminder now so you don't miss a second of the magic!

Myles O'Reilly

The stream will be hosted by Ye Vagabonds' Brian Mac Gloinn (also one of the festival's founders) and will also feature new footage from the wonderful musician and documentary maker Myles O’Reilly as he spends time on the island before the weekend.

Féile Róise Rua 21 Playlist

Féile Róise Rua X OV

Livestream details

As part of the livestream, the Féile Róise Rua community also hope to raise money for the local community centre which is central to life on the island and has been hit hard by the Covid 19 restrictions, causing huge loss of income.

We can't wait to bring you this special celebration of the rich legacy of Róise Rua. It will be broadcast live via Féile Róise Rua and Other Voices on Facebook, Twitter & Youtube on 15th May at 8pm.

You can find out more information about the festival at http://feileroiserua.com/programme-clar-21/ and be sure to follow Féile Róise Rua on socials!

ABOUT THE SHOW

Philip King, founder of Other Voices, said:

‘It's just a delight for all of us at Other Voices to be partnering with Féile Róise Rua and to help bring a glimpse of this magical place to the world. As John Berger says “Songs can express the inner experience of being and becoming” and at Féile Róise Rua on Arranmore Island with songs and singing, tradition, translation and transmission at the heart of the festival, that’s exactly what happens.'

Brian Mac Gloinn of Ye Vagabonds and a member of the Féile Róise Rua team, will host the sessions and said:

‘Between musicians and listeners, songs and tunes have their own space in the air, in our collective voices and in our imaginations. On the 15th of May, at Féile Róise Rua’s live stream, I look forward to sharing this space on the island, through our online connections, with a brilliant gathering of musicians and an audience all over the world.’

Aislinn O’Connor, Marketing Director UK & Ireland at Three said:

‘At Three Ireland we’re delighted to be able to bring connectivity once again to Arranmore island – this time providing our network to the Féile Róise Rua Music & Singing Festival in association with Other Voices. So, sit back, relax, and turn the volume up on what promises to be an unforgettable weekend of live Irish music.’

About Róise Rua

Róise Rua or Róise na nAmhrán was born in 1879 in Sheshkinarone, near Dungloe. After her father’s death in 1883, her mother (who was originally from Arranmore) married Antain Gallagher, “An Búistéir”, and the family moved back to the island. Arranmore remained Róise’s home for the rest of her life, until her death in 1964. “An Búistéir”, was a great storyteller and people flocked to their house to hear his stories. Róise’s mother, Maighréad, had a great repertoire of songs, which she passed on to Róise. Róise, herself, became well known on the island for her singing, and people would often visit her home ‘ag airneáil’. It was Pádraig Ua Cnáimhsí, a local school teacher, who first drew widespread attention to her wealth of song and story in the early 1950s. He wrote her biography, from her own telling, transcribed many of her songs, and wrote to the Irish Folklore Commission about her. As a result, Seán Ó hEochaidh, from the Folklore Commission, came to collect songs from Róise in 1953, and returned again with Leo Corduff, Proinsias Ó Conluain and Jimmy Mahon from Raidió Éireann, who recorded 60 of Róise’s songs. These recordings were salvaged in the early 1990s and a selection of them edited and released by Cathal Goan, under the title Róise na nAmhrán: Songs of a Donegal Woman.

With Thanks

FRR Sponsors

The festival is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, Foras na Gaeilge, Ealaín na Gaeltachta and Donegal County Council and will be broadcast live via Féile Róise Rua and Other Voices on Facebook, Twitter & Youtube on 15th May at 8pm. For more information, go to www.feileroiserua.com.

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