Live music ‘Faoin Spéir’ delights over three nights

Musical Heritage Art Project also displayed for first time

24 August 2021

The Faoin Spéir events of the weekend proved to be a high calibre feast of live music entertainment, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in Longford since the Summer Festival of 2019.

Produced in partnership with Backstage Theatre, Republic of Culture and co-funded by Longford County Council and the Arts Council, Faoin Spéir is the first of four unique cultural projects being developed by Longford County Arts Office.

It is an Arts Council funded program that seeks to bring artworks and citizens together to share unique public spaces. Faoin Spéir Longford focuses on the heritage of Connolly Barracks and its surrounding streets which have been more recently known as The Camlin Quarter.

On Friday night, crowds of music hungry punters braved the elements to witness a fabulous double bill of music from Paddy Casey and The Four of Us. Despite the rain, there was palpable magic between the performers and their audience, and in no time, people were on their feet dancing.  Such was the enthusiasm of the crowd; they demanded a four-song encore and were clearly thankful for the opportunity to see some great live music after such a long spell without it.

Saturday night brought a beautiful mix of the old and new. As the moon shone in temperate skies, crooner Luka Bloom brought his unique mix of folk, trad, and bittersweet lullabies to a hushed and appreciative crowd. Cathey Davey then arrived to turn up the volume with her one-of-a-kind voice, and thumping band.  The weather complimented the cosy atmosphere and it was all perfectly surrounded by the newly designed Longford Musical Heritage Art Project vinyl display panels. The vertical panels which measure 3.5m x 2m, each depict a selection of the wonderful Longford musical memories of the past. They also help to create the ideal outdoor music venue within a suitable open space.

And it was country and western on the menu for Sunday’s performance of Longford legend Declan Nerney. People came from all over, including Tipperary and Monaghan to see the country stalwart. Homegrown talent Laura-Jo Callaghan provided a perfect support act. They were jiving in the aisles. There's no show like a Declan Nerney show.

Longford’s outdoor live music bonanza shows no sign of stopping, with more shows under the Longford Live & Local banner set for Edgeworthstown, Ballymahon, Newtowncashel, Drumlish and Mullinalaghta in the coming weeks. Follow Republic of Culture and Longford County Council on social media for details.

#FaoinSpéir Longford is an initiative by Longford County Council in partnership with Backstage Theatre Longford and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Collaborative art project commemorates Longford’s Musical Heritage  

Vinyl panels on display at Faoin Spéir and Longford Live & Local

We all know the bands, musicians and music that are the soundtrack to our own lives, but do we know the soundtrack of our own localities?

Longford’s Musical Heritage Art Project celebrates just that by focusing our county’s great musical heritage. The project commemorates the local songs and tunes played, the gigs, the jigs, the festivals and venues of the past in a series of mural printed vinyl panels.

The panels were commissioned by Longford Live & Local, as the outdoor programme of concerts got underway in July. They were first displayed during the Faoin Spéir concerts in Longford’s Connolly Barracks last weekend and will travel around the county with Live & Local for the remaining concerts throughout August and September.

Co-ordinator of Longford Live & Local Shane Crossan of Republic of Culture summed it up. Hearing a particular song over the radio or in a shop can transport us back to our younger selves, to the glory days when music was king for so many. As we brought Live & Local around the county over the summer, I kept being transported back to those halcyon days – many of them before phones, the internet and COVID-19 for that matter.”

“This project is a way to share and remind us all of the rich musical heritage we have here in County Longford, after the drought of live performance we’ve all been forced to endure and I want to thank the three great local artists involved.”

The collaborative art project involves work by artists Mary Fleming, Phil Atkinson and Tommie Cunningham. Working together, they developed a series of panels to celebrate Longford’s heritage of traditional musicians, country stars, show bands, rock bands and the many festivals, gigs and venues that left a cultural legacy in the hearts and minds of Longford people.

The result is a selection of vinyl mesh panels, each approximately 3.5 x 2m that are made to be displayed on freestanding self-supported fencing to create an ideal space that is safe, spacious and outside in the open air, but still cosy and intimate.

The panels were first displayed during Faoin Spéir Longford in Connolly Barracks last weekend where they provided a festive backdrop to the music. Indeed, on Sunday night audience members could view Declan Nerney on stage and on the heritage art panel!