Shane and Sharon to rock Temple Bar

Wannabe Riverdancers of all ages are being invited to don their dancing shoes and head along to Temple Bar on August 14th and 15th, to the first Céilí Culture festival, launched with the intent of “celebrating the roots and future of Irish music”.

Organiser Paul Davis said the idea for a city-based festival with Irish music at its core had been brewing for several years. “We want to create a platform for the Irish music that we love, that is accessible musically and in a reasonable price range,” he said.

As such, the music on offer is both suitably Irish and sure to incite mass dancing in the cultural quarter. Paddy Casey and trad-fusion stalwarts Kíla will take the stage at Meeting House Square on August 14th, along with composer Conor Byrne and a number of guest musicians, while Damien Dempsey, Sharon Shannon and Shane MacGowan will perform with Shannon’s Big Band for the first time in Dublin on the 15th.

There will also be free, family-oriented workshops running from noon to 4pm in Smock Alley, where adults and children alike can take crash courses in the bodhrán, uileann pipes and flute. Bookings for workshops, as well as gig tickets, at ceiliculture.com