From October 2th to 5th Killarney will host up to 600 mostly European poker players who compete for €250,000 in the Ladrokes Irish Poker Festival.

The event will also be filmed and broadcast (TV4)on Irish TV as a documentary.

See below for full festival schedule:

The poker festival will feature a €550 buy-in Main Event, as well as a €300 No Limit Hold’em Freezeout event on Saturday October 4, €170 No Limit Freezeout tournament on Sunday October 5 and a Main Event satellite.

Festival Poker Schedule:

Thursday 2nd October (19:30 start)

* Main Event Super Satellite (20 tickets guaranteed)

* €50 + €10 Re-buy Event

Friday 3rd October (16:00 start)

* Main Event  3 Days

* €500 + €50 Freezeout, €250,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Saturday 4th October (16:00 start)

* €270 + €30 Freezeout – 2 Days

* €60,000 Estimated prize pool

Sunday 5th October (15:00 start)

* €150 + €20 Freezeout – 1 Day

* €25,000 Estimated prize pool

The 9th Annual Gathering Irish Festival (www.thegathering.ie) convenes in Killarney February 20-24, and has celebrated the Sliabh Luachra tradition since the Millennium began in 2000 just west of those Rushy Mountains uniting Kerry, Cork and West Limerick into a cultural core that is one of the most vibrant traditions in Irish music.

Based in the Gleneagle Hotel and its Irish National Events Center is a mid-winter carnival (oops, sorry it is spring in Ireland now) that attracts the devout from Europe, Asia, North America and from all over Ireland and Britain.

There are pilgrimages out to Sliabh Luachra and even to the gravesite of one of its greatest exponents, John O’Leary, the box player. Dancers have the polka king Timmy “the Brit” McCarthy on hand with historian Pat Murphy, also a dancing master and five giant ceilithe with the likes of the Allow, Abbey and Five Counties Ceili Bands to stir them up.

Concerts and sessions take place over the long weekend as well, with the top bands being Lunasa, Pauline Scanlon Band, Martin O’Connor with Cathal Hayden and Seamai O’Dowd, Jackie Daly and Seamus Creagh with Paul deGrae, plus a very special appearance by Sean Keane and Liam O’Flynn.

Loads of great local musicians like Paddy Jones, Johnny Cronin, John Brosnan, Paddy Cronin and Kerry native Tim Dennehy for singing will be in the thick of it as well. RTE’s Peter Browne gives a summary lecture to put the music of Sliabh Luachra in context for the attendees on the Sunday.

The Corofin Trad Festival (www.corofintradfest.com) from February 25- March 2 assures us the Banner County will be heard from. Padraic O’Reilly has built this mighty festival lasting a week and now in its eighth year complete with workshops, lectures, ceilithe and organized sessions through the Clare village of Corofin outside of Ennis.

You can expect many of the Clare musical legions to be around. Special guests will include Brian McNamara, Timmy Collins, Michael Rooney and June McCormack, John Wynne, John and Jacinta McEvoy plus Sean Keane and Liam O’Flynn who have their own fond history in Clare. On Saturday afternoon there will be a special tribute to Mick O’Connor, a bandmate of Sean and James Keane in the seminal Castle Ceili Band.

The NYAH Festival (www.cavanmusic.com) takes place over 12 days in March (5-12) throughout Cavan. It is organized by Martin Donohoe, the wonderful rascal and box player who has done much to put Cavan back on the musical map.

There are workshops, lectures, sessions and concerts here that have blossomed to the point where over 300 artists from 18 countries are involved in some fashion, so you’ll have to wend your way through the website to glean what interests you.

One of the special features is the “Jig of Life” Nyah awards to be presented to Sean O’Se, Josephine Keegan, Gerry O’Connor, Seamus MacMathuna, Danny Meehan, Charlie McGettigan and John Kennedy at the Saturday concert.

Ceardlann Earraigh (www.ceardlannearraigh.com) takes place in Celbridge, Co. Kildare over St. Patrick’s weekend on Saturday, March 15. The one day festival is worth noting because this Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann event has an outstanding lineup of musicians for workshops during the day and in concert at night, many of whom are CCE stalwarts.

Appearing are Antoin MacGabhann, Brid Harper, Kathleen Nesbitt, Noel Hill, Brian McGrath, Aoife Granville, Sarah Jane Woods, Danny O’Mahony, Carmel Gunning, Junior Davey, Tadhg Maher and piper Mick O’Brien.

Then there’s AR AIS ARIS Buncrana Traditional Arts Festival (www.buncranatradfest.com) March 27-30th.

In its third year, this growing Donegal festival has reached outside the county to add to massive array of talent already assembled within its borders to include Sharon Shannon, Four Men and a Dog, Maire Ni Chatasaigh and Chris Newman and Micheal O’Suillabhain, who will debut a specially commissioned piece for the festival.

On the bill is an exciting new band called Moonlightin with Altan’s Ciarish Tourish and Dermot Byrne (Buncrana natives), joined by Michael McGoldrick, John Doyle and John Joe Kelly.

Buncrana native Liz Doherty is a leading figure behind this weekend, and Triona and Mairead Ni Dhomhnaill will also lead the Donegal performers that will include another PYRO reunion gig.

courtesy of The Irish Voice

The organizers of Writers’ Week have just announced its schedule of literary workshops and competitions and workshops for 2008 to take place in Listowel.

Workshops:

. short fiction

. writing (getting started)

. writing (advanced)

. writing a novel

. popular fiction

. poetry (getting started)

. poetry (advanced)

. writing for theatre

. writing for screen

. song writing

. thriller

. freelance journalism

. memoir

. writing funny

Competitions:

. kerry group irish fiction award

. bryan macmahon short story

. duais foras na gaeilge

. eamon keane full length play

. writers’ week originals

. writing in prisons

. single poem

. collection of poems

. “original writing” memoir

. irish post/stena line new writing

. creative writing for youth

. tell your story

Total prize funds exceed €30,000. The prize fund for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award has increased to €15,000 for a published Irish novel; there’s also the Bryan MacMahon short story Award, Duais Foras Na Gaeilge, Kerry County council creative writing for youth, as well as prizes for original memoir, play, storytelling and poetry.

Writers’ Week, which takes place from May 28 to June 1, and the workshops will be hosted by well known figures from the Irish Literary scene includingauthors Carlo Gebler, Niall Williams, Billy Roche and John F Deane, writing poetry with Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and John McAuliffe, screen writing with Eugene O’Brien, writing funny with Gerry Stembridge, memoir writing with Brian Dillon, crime writing with Glenn Meade and popular fiction with Denise Deegan.

As always, Listowel will lay on the glamour for a glittering line-up of distinguished writers among them Seamus Heaney, John Banville, Anne Enright, Per Petterson, Hugo Hamilton, John Boyne and Diarmaid Ferriter.

More details from the organizers of Writers Week.

There can’t be many places in the world that celebrate a goat every year for forewarning the locals of the impending arrival of the heinous English Cromwellian hordes.

In Killorglin, County Kerry this is exactly what happens in early August each year. This year Jimmy, a feisty white mountain goat, was crowned king of Ireland in Killorglin. And to celebrate Jimmy the pubs stay open longer, there is organized music and dancing and cultural events.

Each year a male goat is caught in the surrounding mountains, paraded through the town to a beat of drums and pipes, and then placed in a 40-feet stand where he reigns as king for three days. The origins of the fair are not totally known, but it always falls on August 10-12. One theory suggests mountain goats alerted residents of the town to an impending attack by leader Oliver Cromwell’s forces in the 17th century. Another says it may have pre-Christian links due to the goat being a pagan fertility symbol like the god Pan. Around 100,000 to 150,000 visitors gather each year to celebrate either fertility, goats or the onslaught of perfidious Albion or whatever your having yourself. Rumor had it that Elvis can be seen, in a certain light from a certain angle.

More on this from Puckfair.ie

Following five years of great success this years Summerfest sees an expanded program of events for all tastes from family-oriented to rockers and Irish Dance aficionados.

The complete program and updated schedule is available from the website of the SummerFest organizers. Here are some of the highlights of this years program:

Outdoor concerts: July 14th – multi-platinum rock act PINK is headlining the music festival and is supported by Irish band DIRECTOR, tickets 55 Euros from ticketmaster.ie

Indoor: Tue 26th June to Sat 30th June – FAME The Musical, Price: €35, €20

Classical Music: July 6th – Marina Cassidy (Harpist) and Miriam O’Sullivan (Flautist) at Muckross House, price €30. Monday 9th July at 7.30pm – Young Musician of the Year at Muckross House, price still to be announced.

In addition to these events are street busking, arts & crafts fair, art exhibitions, cycling events (competitions and ring-of-kerry tour) and Black Tie Ball on July 5th, marching bands and band fringe festival.

Tickets are already scarce so check out the schedule and book in advance. Also bear in mind that accommodation will be scarce in Killarney during the festival.

Oireachtas Rince na hEireann 2007 is taking place for the second year this week at the INEC center in Killarney. Dancers from all over the world, and representing all age groups of Irish dancers will be in Killarney for this weeks competitions.

For more information on this (and results) and other irish dancing competitions see this great page from Corr’s Irish Shoes. And while I’m at it there’s a great website, ‘Irish Dancing‘, that is US based and has forums and event information for the dedicated followers of Irish dance. The Killarney event will be followed at Easter by the World Irish Dancing Championship in Glasgow, Scotland.

Here are some links to Irish Dancing related sites for the fans of Irish Dancing.

An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha

Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America, Inc

Australian Irish Dancing Association Inc

Irish Dance Teachers Association of Canada – Eastern Region

Southern England Regional Council

Midlands Regional Council

North West Regional Council

What better way to enjoy American country music than in the wild west of Killarney?

Friday/Saturday November 17/18th

Headlined by American legend Charley Pride. Joining him will be the cream of the Irish country music scene – Mike Denver, Jimmy Buckley, Tony Stevens, Philomena Begley, Paddy O’Brien and many more.

Two nights accommodation package including 5 hours of music each night.

Friday
4 ½ hours of dancing to Mike Denver, Tony Stevens & Philomena Begley

Saturday
Charley Pride & The Pridesmen in concert
“Special guest” Mike Denver
Followed by dancing to Jimmy Buckley, Paddy O’Brien & Philomena Begley
(5 hour show)

Address Irish National Events Centre,Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry
Telephone +353 (0)94 9255000
E-mail info@showtours.ie

For more information visit the sponsor’s website here.