Cork Folk Festival celebrates 21 years

It may not be the oldest music festival in the world, but after 21 years the Cork Folk Festival has outlived many of its musical contemporaries, such as punk and Lisdoonvarna. From August 31st to September 3rd, the festival will rightly celebrate with some degree of pride.

The origins of the festival are, according to organiser William "Hammy" Hammond, "a bit vague", but that it ever saw the light of day owes much to the likes of Timmy "The Brit" McCarthy, Malachy Daly, Jim Walsh, Tom Dineen and Noel Shine.

De Danann headlined the first festival in 1979 and since then, it has hosted an eclectic mix - from the Chieftains, Christy Moore and Paul Brady to Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers, Billy Bragg and David Gray.

This year is a time for reflection on past achievements, recognised with the launch of the Cork Folk Festival CD at-home night, featuring Any Old Time, Seamus Creagh and Aidan Coffey at An Spailpin Fanach on August 31st.

"The CD is called simply Cork Folk Festival Archive and features live performances from the festival over a 10-year period - people like Jimmy Crowley, Jimmy McCarthy, Matt Cranitch and Jackie Daly and Seamus Creagh," says Hammy.

That idea of continuity across the years is further expressed in a concert at the Metropole Hotel on Sunday, featuring families associated with folk or Irish traditional music.

"Among the families we have taking part are the Mooneys from Bunbeg in Donegal, including Francie Mooney, his daughters, Aine Ni Mhaonaigh and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh - who's with Altan - and his son, Gearoid and grandson, Ciaran," says Hammy.

This year's festival also features old favourites, such as John Spillane with Declan Sinnott and Briege Murphy performing at An Spailpin Fanach on Saturday. The Festival Club includes Arty McGlynn, Cathal Hayden and Ciaran Tourish, among others.

Altan headline Sunday night's offerings with a concert in the Everyman Palace Theatre, supported by English duo Chris Wood and Andy Cutting.

"We also have several specialist concerts where musicians who are exponents of particular instruments will perform - for instance, Arty McGlynn, Cathal Hayden, Andy Irvine and Herring Ahern are giving a string concert with Noel Shine," says Hammy.

"We also have concerts featuring fiddle, box, pipes, whistle and flute while we would also expect that impromptu sessions will break out in pubs closely associated with traditional music in the city."