ANNOUNCING REKINDLE FESTIVAL OF LOST SKILLS

REKINDLE Festival Day will return to Parliament Street, Ennistymon on the 16th and 17th of August as part of National Heritage Week. 

Fresh from winning a national Pride of Place award in 2023, Rekindle Festival of Lost Skills returns for its third year, celebrating the revival of traditional skills and crafts, and those who practice them. This year will see our first outdoor Ceilí Mór and Heritage Trail,  Traditional music concert, running alongside traditional skill demonstrations, our Maker's Market, concerts, music and dance.  

Rekindle is an intergenerational micro-festival of Lost Skills, focusing on rekindling and celebrating arts and traditional music, skills and practices of the past often held by older people. An opportunity to reconnect the generations and share the stories, techniques and tools our elders used to live sustainably - through a series of live music events, demonstrations, workshops, talks and exhibitions.

FRIDAY 16th AUGUST

LASRAÍ - OPENING CONCERT

ENNISTYMON COMMUNITY CENTRE

Tickets are available here 

Rekindle will launch with a very special concert featuring performances from some of the finest traditional musicians and dancers from Ireland and around the world, including Stephanie Keane, Ultan O’Brien, Seamas Hyland, Aindrias De Staic, Louise O’Connor, Mohammad Syfkhan, Citadel, and Kateryna Cerniak.

SATURDAY 17th AUGUST 

REKINDLE FESTIVAL DAY

Register for the Festival Day for free here. 

FESTIVAL HUB - AT THE COURTHOUSE GALLERY 12-4pm

Meet the Makers (12pm-4pm) - Skill demonstrations throughout the day including basket making with Michael Foudy, cobbling with John Murphy, knitting from Carol Head and the Galway Knitters, woodturning and whittling from Zack Halliday, jewellery making from Deirdre Clogher, traditional woodworking from Eoin Reardon, lace making from Aine Hanrahan and more. 

Rekindle Maker’s Market (12-4pm) featuring stalls from local producers and organisations with a focus on heritage and traditional skills including Savage Craic, Slieve Aughty Honeys, Lunasa Kombucha,, Seed Savers, Burren Beo and more.

Live Traditional Music (12-2pm) from Ennistymon Comhaltas.

Outdoor Céilí Mór (2pm - 4pm) hosted by Louise O’Connor with the Rekindle band - Aindrias De Staic, Aidan Vaughan, Mark Burke and Liam Clancy.

REKINDLE HERITAGE TRAIL - THROUGHOUT ENNISTYMON 10–8pm

All limited capacity events will be on a first come, first served basis.

Ennistymon Shopfronts Heritage Walk (10am - 12pm, meet at the Falls Hotel at 9.45am) - Explore the historic shopfronts of and their occupants based on the 1901 and 1911 census. This unique heritage walk is given by town planner, artist and musician Brendan P. Lynch. Booking is essential via text to 0863473069 or bplynch@hotmail.com. Places are limited - €10 per person. Finishes at Byrne’s Fiddle Shop and Watercolour Gallery for a few fiddle tunes. 

A Gentle Life by The Tweed Project (Stacks Corner on Main St, Open Door 11am-4pm) - Visit The Tweed Project pop-up in Stacks and meet the founders Triona and Aoibheann who create handmade, one off pieces that combine traditional Irish fabrics with modern tailoring. Includes a viewing of their newly commissioned short film, A Gentle Life. 

The Heritage of Art and Artists in Ennistymon (Foust Gallery on Main St, open door 12- 4pm) - Tour the Foust Gallery with artist Sara Foust who will showcase her own landscape artworks and explore the heritage of art and artists in County Clare.

The Basics of Weaving (Ennistymon Community Centre, Parliament St, 12-1pm) - Learn the basics of weaving and the different types of looms with weavers Jean Moran and Dean Stapleton. 

Traditional Blacksmithing with Reece Foster (Ennistymon Community Centre, Parliament St, 1.30-2.30pm) - Learn about traditional metalworking and blacksmithing from Reece Foster from Saul Forged, a blacksmith who has restored and operates a 270 year old forge in Mountshannon.

Traditional Skincare with Airmid (Airmid Shop on Main St, Open door 12-4pm) - Owners of organic handmade skincare shop ‘Airmid’ Kevin Lynch and Lisa Robinson host an open shop and talk about the traditional processes involved in making natural, handmade, small batch skincares. 

Live Handmade Ceramics Demonstration (Leana Mo Chroí on Main St, Open door 12-4pm) - Live ceramics demonstrations from Artist Michelle Gunning owner of the Studio and Gallery Space.

Heritage Keepers (The Cheesepress on Main St, 1pm-2pm)

An introductory talk on the  Heritage Keepers programme with Burren Beo’s Mary Dillon. The workshop will look at the ideas of engaging with local and natural heritage, biodiversity and folklore to create a community of heritage keepers in your area.

Live Woodwork Demonstration (Eugene’s Pub on Main St, 3pm-4pm) - Woodworking demonstration with Eoin Reardon at Eugene’s Pub.

Storytelling & Session with Peter Curtin and friends (Salmon Books, 4pm-6pm) - Storytelling with Lisdoonvarna Story teller Peter Curtin and Traditional Tunes with Sonja, Bart and friends.

CLOSING SESSION

Closing Session at Cooley’s Pub (6pm - 8pm)

Traditional Singing session with Fear an Tí Mick O’Riordan. Mick is a singer and musician based in Doolin and has been singing and playing music in County Clare for the last twenty years. Open session - everyone is welcome to bring a song and join in.

Rekindle Festival of Lost Skills is funded by the National Heritage Council, the Arts Council and Clare County Council, Hotel Doolin, Doolin Ferry, Shannon Ferries and The Armada

For any questions or queries, you’re most welcome to get in touch with Aoife on rekindle@ourcommonknowledge.org or on 0834425819.

Location

Parliament Street, Ennistymon, V95 D79 

Book your ticket and find out more here