Longford Live & Local returns for Christmas period

Press Release

22 November 2021

Longford County Council is delighted to announce the return of the very successful ‘Longford Live & Local’ music and arts programme, funded through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s Local Live Performance Programming Scheme.

Such was the success of Longford’s Summer Live and Local Programme, that Longford County Council has been awarded another grant of €143,000. The fund will be used to engage local artists, musicians, and creative communities in delivering a wide variety of performance and cultural events throughout the months of November and December. This winter, the programme of events is being coordinated by the Longford Creative Ireland Programme with the support of local events manager Shane Crossan and his company Republic of Culture.

In total, over 67 live cultural events will take place in towns and villages around County Longford during the months of November and December. All events will be strictly managed observing COVID-19 public health guidelines. A number of events will be streamed live.

The initiative follows the announcement in March 2021 of a €50m suite of COVID-19 measures to support the commercial live performance sector, by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The scheme was initially designed to assist producers, promoters, and venues to provide opportunities for people in the industry. It has now been expanded to deliver on actions identified in the Longford Culture and Creativity Strategy which encourages individuals and communities to get involved in some form of creative activity.

An inclusive and diverse programme of events has been scheduled to run throughout the months of November and December. These events will take place across the county at nursing homes, family resource centres, community centres, and in towns and villages. All the events are taking place with the active support and engagement of local communities and An Garda Síochána in each area.

Speaking at the launch of Longford Live & Local Winter programme Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Cllr Peggy Nolan said, “Longford County Council is delighted to be able to support communities and individuals to bring some Christmas cheer to their local area this winter. We all need music, the arts and creativity to lift our spirits at this challenging time. The summer Live & Local programme was such a great success in supporting our musicians, singers, actors, writers and cultural activists and I am looking forward to attending some of the many events planned over the next couple of months”.

The programme kicks off this weekend at around 5pm on Saturday evening when Santa arrives at Longford’s Market Square to switch on the Christmas lights with the help of Longford’s boys and girls. In Granard, at the Knights and Conquests centre, the Holly King and Winter Queen will light up the night sky at Granard Motte with a display of seasonal fireworks. Other towns and villages also have some great events happening.

Speaking at the programme launch, Chief Executive, Longford County Council Paddy Mahon said, “This county has a great community spirit and Longford County Council is delighted to support this jam-packed winter programme of music, art, story, and song. We also think of our diaspora spread around the globe, many of whom may not get home this Christmas, and we hope they will be able to join us at some of the great online events that are planned as part of the programme.”

Events are free but will be strictly managed in accordance with public health guidelines. Indoor events will be ticketed, traceable and patrons will be required to produce evidence of COVID-19 certificates on entry.

To see the full programme of events showing dates, locations, and a list of all the artists performing you can pick up a copy of the brochure from your local library, Backstage Theatre and from local shops. The programme is also available to download from the Longford County Council website and social media channels.

ENDS