‘If nothing else, Abbeyfest 2009 will go down as a master class in community organisation’

(Click here Abbeyfest Poster 2009)

Thus began the final promotional post for Abbeyfest 2009, sent at 3:30 pm on Friday June 12th from the library in Abbeyleix as final preparations were being made for what was to become one of the most unique and exciting festivals to be held in the Midlands for quite some time.

What began as a conversation between 3 friends (Brendan Phelan, Ross McDonald and Pat Kennedy) less than 2 months beforehand had evolved into a template for how community festivals can and should be run.

The festival would be run in conjunction with www.crewger.ie. All proceeds from collections over the weekend would go to ‘Development Perspectives’, a registered charity working for families in Tanzania. The running of the actual event would be sponsored by local businesses.

The format was simple, but dangerously affective. As opposed to booking acts from outside the community to play, the organisers decided to look inwards. Find out what was actually going on within that community and build the event around those artists, individuals and organisations.

An open call was sent out to artists and individuals from all backgrounds to put forward resources and ideas. From that point on, the event became less about 3 friends working on a project and more about a community coming together to celebrate itself.

What became very clear early on was that there was a wealth of talent and expertise within the community and that the town itself contained top class venues – the perfect stage to allow that talent and expertise to shine. Most of the venues have had renovations recently, and the weekend conveniently coincided with the opening of the new Garden Patio in the Manor Hotel and garden area in Morrissey’s, the Library’s first birthday and an event organised by the local FEC to showcase the work of their own artists.

In a relatively short space of time, the event expanded from 2 venues on one night, to ten venues over 3 days.

Abbeyfest would now be taking place all over town, beginning in Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on the Friday and continuing on to Morrissey’s, The Horseshoe Inn, McEvoy’s, The Heritage Centre, The Farmers Market, Abbeyleix Library, Benny’s, Quinn’s, Cafe Odhran on the Saturday and finishing in the local FEC on the Sunday.

The work to be showcased too expanded dramatically to include traditional and contemporary music, comedy, cabaret, theatre, film, storytelling, arts and crafts, painting, sculpture and photography.

The local Farmers Market, located in the historic Market Square, would be the centre piece of the event duringSaturday. Fine food would be provided by Paddy Lalor, The Gallic Kitchen, Paddy Jack Cheese, G’s Gourmet Jam, Rose Cottage Produce and Rossmore Ice Cream. The market would also include jewellery from Stone Jewels, a florist, vegetarian bread and cheese, a spit of lamb and organic fruit. Fire jugglers, circus performers, skittles, a bucking bronco, the Abbeyleix Vintage Rally, B’s Holistic Massage` and our very own town crier would all add to the grand tapestry, with Live Art to be painted by members of the local FEC – a veritable circus  in its own right.

With the words ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Abbeyfest’, our town crier Ailbe Collins began proceedings in the beautiful surrounds of Abbeyleix Manor Hotel’s new Garden Patio. The sun was shining, and a free BBQ was put on as the legendary Ballyroan Brass Band kicked into gear. As the sun set, The Nothing Majors took over with the first of what was to become a stream of excellent live sets. Alan Kehoe, VJ artist extraordinaire, provided stunning visuals on a make shift backdrop.

Inside, footage from the 1982 May Day Festival in Abbeyleix (provided by the right honourable John Lynch and     the archives of local film archivist James Carroll) were screened to an excited (and soon to be nostalgic) local crowd. Outside, The Nothing Majors kept the party rolling well into the night.

It was the perfect start to proceedings. The stage had been set for an event that would offer something for young and old alike.

The Farmers Market began at 9:00pm on Saturday June 13th with a respectable scramble for places. The square had been cordoned off, with the area in front of the old Folk House left open for the bucking bronco and ‘Mega-Bounce’. The Weather Gods were smiling down on us, and soon revellers began arriving, intrigued by this rather colourful spectacle brightening up the old town centre.

Ailbe and his trusty bell kept the audience aware of proceedings as they happened. He was soon found ushering families into the Library for a feast of entertainment for the younger generation. Creative Dance Demo with Suzanne McCabe, Storytime with Susan Shanahan, face painting with Katherine Foyle and Leona Duff and a Puppet show with Annetoinette Gleeson-Mills of ‘Kids Party Club’ kept them busy well after midday, while Michael Moylan from ‘Irish History Live’ held a captive audience with his funny, educational (and accident free) weapons show.

Celebrating its first birthday after a magnificent refurbishment (recently winning the 2009 Irish Architecture Award for ‘Best Conservation / Restoration Project’), the library was also the perfect venue for local painters, sculptures and photographers to showcase their work. Pauline Rowan did an excellent job of curator with the help of Maria Murphy, Enda McEvoy, Laura Brett and the staff of the library. Artists on show included Edel O’Keeffe, Jack Nicol, Para Havatitye, Jackie Carter, Margaret Cotter, Kamilla Beblot, Doreen Mulhall, Frances Kavanagh and contributing artists from Abbeyleix FEC.

As preparations for the Arts and Crafts Fair on the Sunday were in full swing, Siobhain Jordan, a practicing artist based in Kilkenny, was unveiling her installation ‘Sanctum’ in the grounds of the FEC. A non-denominational altar within the festival atmosphere, the installation created a space for people to relax, contemplate, think of a loved one and offer up their own petitions for their own cause.

Elsewhere, the official Abbeyfest Quartet, consisting of 4 friends from the local primary school, entertained the masses in Café Odhran and Quinn’s Coffee Shop. Rumours of an upcoming world tour, to include the ‘02 Arena’ in London, are rumoured but unconfirmed. Cafe Odhran also played host to a storytelling session with Margaret Cotter.

As the market filled and the sound of excited children drifted out of the library, preparations were being made in the Heritage Centre for a special screening event. Tom Cox and Eimear Boyle had successfully transformed the visitors centre, housing much of the history of Abbeyleix and the surrounding areas, into an intimate screening room designed to showcase the work of mostly local filmmakers.

The audience were treated to an eclectic mix of stories, from drama (Michael McDonalds ‘88′,  Michael Bowler’s ‘The Locket’ and Jude Stynes’ ‘The Hunter’ as well as the world premiere of Kildare filmmaker Derek Wheeler’s ‘Dreamers and Weepers’) to comedy (Ger Lynch’s ‘Bad Boys 3′ and ‘Going The Distance’ and Noel Brady’s ‘Movers and Shakers’) to animation (‘The Boogie Man’ and ‘The Care Taker’ by Abbeyleix man Eugene Clooney and ‘Granny O’Grimm’ written and presented by Kathleen O’Rourke’).

Documentaries were represented by Lorcan’s Dunne’s ‘The Dublin Workhorse’. Music videos too were on show in the shape of John Lynch’s ambitious video for Emer Dunne’s song ‘Untold Story’ and Pauline Rowan’s ‘Cabaret of Pearls’, a video for self-styled Cabaret Buddhist, Rose Lawless. Pauline also showed her recently completed Filmbase project ‘Mumbo Jumbo’.

Away from the screenings, the festival continued to throw out some musical gems. As the ‘Live Art’ sprouted across wall of AIB, two traditional sets ran concurrently in the Horseshoe Inn and Benny’s, the former playing host to Billy Phelan. David Furey was joined by Enda Fitzpatrick and Stephen Brennan of ‘Middle of Nowhere’ for his set in Benny’s lounge area.

As the sun continued to beat down on the crowd, local band Feedback filled the newly opened back garden in McEvoy’s to capacity. Across in Morrissey’s, what began as an impromptu acoustic set by the first of our headline acts, Ever 27, quickly turned into one of the best group performances of the weekend, as an enthusiastic crowd were treated to a master class in live performance by the Mullingar Band.

Time and again throughout the day Morrissey’s would prove itself one of the best live venues in Laois. As Ever 27 finished their first set of the day, Terry Byrne of Burning Boy was setting up in the Gazebo beside the new Garden Area at the back of the bar. The singer songwriter set the cool garden scene with his singles ‘Poppies’ and ‘Inhaler’, one that would continue on into the night.

You would have been forgiven for thinking whether or not there was a festival of any kind going on in the Horseshoe Inn at the beginning of Dave Morrissey’s set, as revellers slowly trickled in from other events around town. An hour later, the crowd that had packed into the bar were left in no doubt that ‘Abbeyfest After Dark’ had well and truly kicked into gear.

The audience were taken on a ride through the beautiful sounds of his most excellent debut album, ‘Bring Out The Light’, the cheers growing with each new song. For his finale he was joined by John Bowells, an old friend who happened to be doing sound in the venue on the night. With David down to just four strings, and John on harmonica, the two seasoned professionals launched into a rendition of The Doors ‘Roadhouse Blues’ that sent the entire crowd into a frenzy. The new pool hall area of the Horseshoe Inn had never seen the like, and it still had ‘Middle of Nowhere’ and ‘Ever 27’ waiting in the wings.

As Dave rocked The Horseshoe, a team of fire jugglers strutted their stuff around the Market Square, and a very unique show was breathing new life in the lounge area of Morrissey’s.

Billed as a relaxed evening of ‘Cabaret, Comedy, Music and Theatre’, the show was a collaborative effort between some of the best up and coming performers from the midlands and farther afield.

Kathleen O’Rourke, Mark Doheny, Sam Farrell, Gordon Rochford and Lee Farrell made mince meat of the audiences’ collective funny bone with their distinctive blend of sketches and stand up, and Eleventy Four’s ‘sad and silly’ songs blended effortlessly into the mix. Comedy and theatre from Nicole Rourke, Clodagh Downing and Noni Stapleton rounded off a perfect evening in the most intimate of surroundings.

Intimate as it was, the doors had to be locked soon after the show began because of the sheer volume of people trying to gain access. Flattering as it was, it blocked off the main entrance to the largest venue of the night, the back garden of Morrissey’s. Ailbe Collins, the grand piper of Abbeyfest 2009, armed with a bell from an old fire engine and a set of lungs that Pavarotti would have been proud of, quickly announced the opening of the side entrance into the arena, and was slowly followed by a cautious but intrigued group of local revellers.

Following on from Burning Boy, The Beautiful Rooms added to the chilled garden feel with their folk-inspired singles ‘Over Dunes’, ‘Idol Hours’ and ‘Who Knows’, reminding a relaxed audience why comparisons have been made between lead singer Emmet Condon and icons such as Glen Hansard and David Kitt.

Having already wowed audiences with their traditional set alongside David Furey earlier in the day, Stephen Brennan and Enda Fitzpatrick from Middle of Nowhere set up shop in The Horseshoe for their headline electric set list. Rocking the house with some perfectly timed covers, it was the original singles ‘Its Alright’ and ‘Walk Away’ from Enda, Stephen and band members Pierce McWey and Aongus Buggy that really hit a cord, good news for the young band ‘from outside Portlaoise’ currently preparing the release of their first EP.

As the sun set, the back garden of Morrissey’s was transformed into an audio-visual-musical feast, with Chinese lanterns, Christmas lights and Alan Kehoe’s masterful visuals bouncing off a 10 foot screen, lighting up the entire area in preparation for the headline act.

The stage was set for ‘shock and awe’ tactics of the great ‘Beef Supreme’. The crowd, packed into the garden / conservatory area and charged up from the day long festivities, gave it their absolute all. Feeding off the energy, the Carlow band served up gem after gem, with singles ‘Guy At Your Window’ and ‘Duck Tape Rodeo’ raising the roof on their mini Gazebo stage.

As the lyrics ‘I’m too wasted to care anymore’ were launched time and again at the frenzied crowd, as the garden was invaded by fire jugglers, as Kehoe’s visuals picked up tempo to match the beautiful madness that was being created in front of our eyes, its easy to see why lead singer Jimmy O’Rourke later described the gig as the best they had ever played.

Up the road in The Horseshoe, the atmosphere was no less celebratory.

Expectations were high for the act formerly known as ‘Mesner’, one of the most celebrated bands to come out of the Midlands for many a year. Those lucky enough to secure a place in the packed venue were soon left in no doubt why Brendan McEvoy’s new band is at the forefront of a new musical movement slowly building in the Midlands. 5 minutes into the gig, one thing was very clear. Ever 27 truly had arrived.

Bands rightly live and die based on their live performances, and with this in mind, Brendan’s four piece (consisting of Eoin Fitzsimons, Tanya O Callaghan and Paul Feery) will soon be taking their place among the great and the good of the contemporary Irish music scene. Following a wild set that included singles ‘The Town Where You’ll Be Livin’ ‘Dead Angels and ‘Something Sweet’, you could almost feel the ‘Thanks you’s’, ‘We wish you well’ and ‘Don’t forget us now’ rising out of the exhausted crowd.

Hangovers at the ready, the ‘Abbeyfestivallers’ convened in the local FEC on Sunday morning for a free BBQ, Arts and Crafts Fair and music featuring Jimmy O’Rourke and Friends, Emmet Condon and Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra. Blessed as the town had been with the weather to date, the signs were ominous early on and unfortunately the weather Gods failed to smile on Sunday’s revellers.

Unfazed, the musicians packed up and moved the festivities to Morrissey’s lounge area for an acoustic set (Nick Carswell’s ‘Running on Empty’ making a noteworthy impact) to bring the weekend’s festivities to a relaxed end on a drizzly Sunday afternoon.

The Abbeyfest Trio would like to thank all the performers and each and everyone who helped out over the weekend and in the weeks leading up to this unique event. Special mention needs to be made to the local businesses who sponsored the event – (deep breath) Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, Clelands Abbeyleix, Abbeyleix Post Office, Morrissey’s, Abbeyleix Jewellery Shop, Benny’s, AIB Abbeyleix, The Horseshoe Inn, McEvoy’s, Bramleys, Quinn’s Café, John Quinn, Café Odhran, Abbeyleix Flower Shop, Morans Newsagent, O’Donnells Pharmacy, Timmy Bonham Mechanic, Capri Grill, Horse and Rider, Credit Union Abbeyleix, Super Value Abbeyleix, Andy Shiels Butchers, Ortis Technology, Dunnes Hardware Abbeyleix, JPR Illustration,  Custom IT, www.crewger.ie, Mickey Mc Donnells Interiors, Casserly’s Vet and Pharmacy, Andy Ring Bridalwear, www.laptopscreens.ie, www.e-tender.ie, Anita Bonham Hair Salon, First Ireland Spirits, Tir na Nog hair salon and Edmund Shanahan chip van.

A special thank you to all the media outlets who sent news of Abbeyfest out in print and over the airwaves – The Leinster Express, The Nationalist, Phantom FM, TV3, Midlands Radio, Radio One and Newstalk FM. Thanks also to Karl Moore and Kieran Kelly for building and maintaining the website, to Mark Gallagher from www.feedme.ie for designing the logo, to Bridie Keenan and all at the Laois County Council Office for all her support and to Jackie Carter, Margaret Morrin and Edel O’Keefe from the Abbeyleix FEC.

All proceeds from sponsors have been lodged into the official Abbeyfest Credit Union Account for use in future events. Overall €2,000 was collected from revellers for Ross McDonalds Charity, Development Prospectus, and will go towards helping families in Tanzania, so a big thank you to all who contributed. Private donations through mycharity.ie and anyone still hoping to donate money should contact Development Perspectives through their website http://developmentperspectives.ie/.

A final final thank you to all the people from in and around Abbeyleix who made the event such a huge success. We were asked by many people over the weekend how they could help or show their appreciation and we said the same to everyone – ‘You turned up didn’t you, no go out and enjoy yourself’.

Exhausted as we all were following the event, we were completely satisfied that we had achieved our original goal – to show how much energy, expertise and potential exists within all communities and to give that a place to shine.