The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society are looking for stallholders selling Irish goods to take part in the Crawley Irish Festival on Sunday 24^th August on Southgate playing fields in Crawley.

If you specialise in Irish cuisine or Celtic crafts, this is a great opportunity to promote your business and sell your wares in a lively and fun family atmosphere.  So whether you’re a butcher, baker, candlestick maker or something altogether more unusual, come and join us and enjoy the craic!

The Festival, now in its thirteenth year attracts around 6000 people and features live performances of popular and traditional music on two stages, a number of creative workshops and a variety of sporting activities including demonstrations and games. Craft stalls and shops selling traditional Irish produce and arts and crafts goods are also an important part of the programme.

Organisers are keen to develop the Festival and would like to expand the range of stalls at this year’s event and are keen to hear from anyone interested in taking part.

The cost of a 10 foot x 20 foot stall costs just £40 for the whole day. There are also concessions available for hot food sales.

If you would like to know more, please contact Shannon Mackey-Witton on 07815 055281 or email: crawleyirishadmin@googlemail.com.

You can also find further details on our website: http://www.celtic-irish.co.uk/crawley-irish-festival-2008

This sunday marks the fifth annual Crawley Saint Patrick’s Parade and everyone is invited! After the parade, free entertainment in Queen’s Square which includes music and Irish dancing demonstrations. The parade starts at 1pm from Crawley Bus Station and concludes at Queen’s Square.

There has been some freak weather warnings from our friends at the Met Office so please remember, one and all, to bring appropriate clothing with you.

It’s also an exciting weekend otherwise as we approach Saint Patrick’s Day on Monday 17th March.

There’s live rugby on the box, or if you are lucky enough to get to Twickenham it would be much closer; lots of events in venues throughout the town and, on Saint Patrick’s Day itself, the GAA club championships at Croke Park. If Croke Park is too far to travel, it’s also live on Setanta.

Have a great weekend and the CICS invite you all to come down to celebrate your roots with the Irish in Crawley.

More information at http://www.celtic-irish.co.uk/stpats

Details of Crawley’s 12^th annual Celtic Weekend have just been finalised. The Weekend is the largest event in Crawley to take place on Southgate Playing Fields and organisers believe that the line-up on offer promises to be their best yet.

The Weekend begins with the 2^nd Celtic Rock in the Park, on Saturday 25^th August at 6pm. The hugely talented local hard rock/metal band Angst kick off the evening which features an impressive line-up of rock talent including Bad Boy Boogie, a fine local AC/DC Tribute band and TheBibleCodeSunday’s, who’s unique blend of traditional Irish and modern rock music won them the 2006 Irish World Newspaper Award for “Best Band on London Circuit”.

Headliners The Cureheads bring the evening to a close. This premier band is well known in Crawley for their tribute to the music, fashion & performing style of The Cure. Formed in 1990, they will perform music that spans from the beginning of The Cure’s career, right through to the latest releases, some of which are only available online.

The Weekend continues with the Crawley Irish Festival, on Sunday 26^th August from 12-6pm. The Festival, now in its twelfth year, never disappoints with its vibrant and colourful mix showcasing some great Irish entertainment, music, sport and dance. The main music stage will feature a whole afternoon of some of the finest Irish music from bands such as Mustang, The 12 Sullivan’s, The Emerald Dogs, Guns and Horses and the ever popular Mick Flavin. Some of the best traditional Irish music will be played live on a second stage.

This year we are planning to run a more high profile event for 2007, in celebration of the New Town’s sixtieth anniversary, and there will be lots for young people and families to do with a special children’s entertainment marquee featuring games, songs and stories, with particular emphasis on Irish traditions and folklore. There will also be live GAA Sports, live televised sports, Irish Dancing Displays, two beer tents and many stalls offering Irish goods.

Tickets for the Celtic Rock in the Park will cost £8 and will be available online, at local outlets, at the gate on the day and at The Hawth Box Office – Tel: 01293 553636 or book online at www.hawth.co.uk.

Tickets for the Crawley Irish Festival will cost £5 for Adults, £2 for concessions (students and over 60’s) and children under 18 are free and will be available at the gate on the day.

For further details on the bands for the Celtic Rock Night see:

• Angst - www.angst.uk.com/home.htm
• Bad Boy Boogie - www.celtic-irish.co.uk
• TheBibleCodeSunday’s - www.biblecodesundays.co.uk/bcshtml/index.htm
• The Cureheads – http://www.garyash.addr.com/

A Celebration of Literature - Words - Wit - Wisdom - Where?

James Joyces book ‘Ulysses’ depicts the events of one day when Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom took their epic journey through Dublin.

For millions of people, June 16 is an extraordinary day. On that day in 1904, Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom each took their epic journeys through Dublin in James Joyce’s Ulysses, the world’s most highly acclaimed modern novel. “Bloomsday”, as it is now known, has become a tradition for Joyce enthusiasts all over the world.

From Tokyo to Sydney, San Francisco to Paris, Trieste to Northampton, dozens of
cities around the globe hold their own Bloomsday festivities.

The celebrations usually include readings as well as staged e-enactments and street-side improvisations of scenes from the story.

To celebrate that special day, known as Bloomsday, the Irish Community Arts Project will present a reading by invited literary figures at the graveside of Lucia Anna Joyce who died in Northampton in 1982.

An Irish nurse, who nursed Lucia Joyce, will lay the flowers.

4th Bloomsday 2007: The event will take place at 3pm on Saturday 16th June 2007 at Kingsthorpe Cemetery and The Masque Theatre Company will perform in period costume.

Further details from:

Peter Mulligan
Project Co-ordinator
The Irish Community Arts Project
Northampton Connolly Association
5 Woodland Avenue
Abington Park
Northampton NN3 2BY

Tel. 01604-715793
e-mail: pmcelt@aol.com

Sussex host Ireland in a fantastic Junior Chess Tournament taking place at the Clarion Hotel, Crawley, from 16th to 17th June 2007.

The weekend will feature a battle of minds featuring some of the best young chess players in England and Ireland.

Sussex have an extremely strong junior side with 25 members of the England Team. Sussex are so dominant in in the England national side it will be very much like an international fixture in many of the rounds.

Sussex have a strong reputation for organising impressive events and would like to make this international fixture, just as special.

One of the organisers, Isabel Keen, comments:

There are a few things that I would like to do to make this event special. I would very much like to find a sponsor [or sponsors] to cover the cost of medals, trophies, commemorative score books and the like.

I am also in discussion with some ‘dignitaries’ with regards to opening and closing ceremonies and I intend to get some TV & press coverage of the event as well.

Local and regional businesses wishing to make contact with the Sussex Junior Chess can pass on their details through the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society. Alternatively, you can visit their website at www.sussexjuniorchess.org

County Brighton, the group representing the Irish community along the sussex coast, is helping to make Irish Cricket a big hit this Bank Holiday Monday - May 28th 2007. The Blarney Army are coming Sussex and you can be there too.

Following the fantastic performance of the Irish cricket team – and their fans - in the Caribbean you have a chance to repeat this – but in the more genteel surroundings of Hove, actually.

The County Brighton Irish Society, (CBIS) have booked an exclusive marquee for the Sussex v Ireland match on May 28^th, Bank Holiday Monday.

Tickets are £25 each – and for that you’ll get into the County Ground, access to the marquee, a two course buffet and our own private, cash bar. There’ll be barrels of Guinness, bottles of Magners, wines and whiskies of the best etc. – and opportunities for all kinds of shenanigans.

Plus: LIVE MUSIC from “An Poitin Stil”

Any questions, please contact Garvan on 07802 641315 - or another committee member – or call CBIS on 07949 949954. Booking forms can be downloaded from their webiste at http://www.countybrighton.co.uk

Bank Holiday Sunday 26 August 2007
12pm: Southgate Playing Fields, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex - [map]

A great start to the weekend concludes with the 12th Crawley Irish Festival, on Sunday from Noon with live music, sport and more. The Festival, and the whole Crawley Celtic Weekend, is organised entirely by volunteers.

This year’s Celtic Weekend will feature the biggest Crawley Irish Festival ever held with two live music stages, an Irish Dance Stage, Set-Dancing and Ceili Marquee, GAA sports, free children’s entertainment and great craic for the family.

The FDL Dome Stage, sponsored by Foundation Developments Limited, features around seven hours of the finest folk, traditional, rock and country music. TV personality, Alan Ennis, will act as MC introducing each act with his unique and genuine Irish wit, observations and humour.

Guilfest favourites, The Twelve Sullivans, provide a spark of the folk traditional, plus a fusion courtesy of Guns and Horses, leading directly into the high energy Irish rock of The Emerald Dogs. Mustang and the ever-popular Mick Flavin will provide the country flavour as well as popular Irish tunes. The FDL Stage has something for all tastes but there’s more…

The Landmark Traditional Stage, sponsored by Landmark Groundworks and Civil Engineering, includes some of the best traditional Irish and Celtic music featuring Blackthorn, Brogue, Rocas and The Flying Toads will get the toes tapping and hands clapping.

Free Children’s Entertainment including magic shows, a circus workshop, balloon creations and children’s theatre will entertain the little ones throughout the day.

Irish dance shows from the local Andromeda, O’Brien and Mullins Irish Dance Schools taps off at 3pm, you’ll also have a chance to get involved at the Ceili and Set-Dancing Marquee.

Televised action from the GAA Gaelic Football championship live from Croke Park will be shown on the big screens at the Beer Tent while over at the Sports Arena, there is a busy lineup of Tug o’ War, Hurling and Gaelic Football action.

The Crawley Irish Festival is the most diverse event of its kind in the UK with content that will appeal to all. All proceeds will enhance future events in and promote culture. Entry just £5 for adults and children go free. Get set to paint the town green and enjoy the craic at Crawley.

Tickets - £5 adults / £2 Concessions / £free children available at the gate

[Crawley Celtic Weekend Website]