Gathering Press Release 2008

This year saw the Leeds Gathering festival, now fully established as one of the central Irish festivals outside Ireland itself, celebrate a wide range of Irish culture and arts in various venues all across Leeds. This year’s extended celebrations, over a twelve-day period, saw audience members from all around, both in and out of Leeds, filling the concert seats and packing out the venues for the culturally rich festival that the Irish Arts Foundation had on offer for 2008. It can be said that this year saw a record turn out for the Leeds Gathering events, with every event filled to capacity. It’s no surprise that audience members were vying for front row chairs, and even spilling into the aisles, for such esteemed acts Frankie Gavin with Mike Galvin and Gráda, whose astounding musical talents enthralled all that attended. But this is merely one measure of this year’s event.

The event was launched at the Leeds Carnegie Stadium, Headingley, in partnership with the Leeds Metropolitan University, who offered a great deal of support in organising the event. Chris O’Malley, Director of the Irish Arts Foundation, introduced guest speakers, including Anna Dunne (Vice Chair, Leeds Irish Health and Homes, Marketing and Communications Director, Audiences Yorkshire), Simon Lee (Vice Chancellor, Leeds Metropolitan University), Gerry Kelly (Embassy of Ireland), Jim O’Hara (Chair, Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith, London, and former Director of Irish Studies at St. Mary’s College, Twickenham, Díon Advisory Committee), Seamus McGarry (Chair, Ireland Fund of Great Britain, Díon Advisory Committee) and Brian O’Farrell (General Manager, Jurys Inn, Leeds).

Following the launch, Dick Gaughan entertained a full auditorium at Seven Arts Centre with a musical concert, supported by The Marroni Family and Cathy Potter, who organise the Scottish Border Gaitherin festival. Musical tradition played a key role in this year’s festival, from the outstanding concert performances by Frankie Gavin and Mike Galvin, who wowed everyone at the Otley Courthouse, and Grada, who drew in a immense crowd into the Queens Hall for a rapturous evening of music, to the traditional Irish music sessions at various locations, for which a vast number of local musicians attended to play, including My Pet Brick, Enda Molloy, Benny McHugh, Deirdre Havlin and the Director of the Return to Camden Town Festival, Karen Ryan. However, audience members were given the opportunity to take home more than simply a sample of the finest traditional Irish music that was on offer.

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Another measure of success for the Leeds Gathering 2008 has to be the wide variety of events, which delved into all aspects of Irish creativity and culture. Throughout the festival ‘The Bank – A Leeds Irish Community’ photographic exhibition was viewable, Irish Experience workshops were held before a number of events, Leeds CCE dancers performed at an evening of traditional music, song and dance, with the vocal talents of Anima and highly acclaimed author Ray French, and ‘The Irishmen’ (BBC, 1965, Donnellan), a film concerning the key part the Irish had to play in British labour history, was shown at Seven Arts Centre followed by a discussion chaired by Dr Lance Pettitt (School of Cultural Studies, and Leeds Metropolitan University). All were notable cultural events, including the hugely successful Lecture and Poetry recital evening, which included the insights of David Cooper (Professor of Music and Technology and Dean of the Faculty of Performance, Visual Arts and Communications, University of Leeds) into the Ulster Scots movement and its approach to musical performance, the talents of Lucht Focail, the award winning Irish writing group of Leeds and an outstanding performance from Niamh Gallagher, the engaging South Armagh fiddle player, who brought the event to a close with a traditional session.

Overall this year’s event has achieved huge success thanks to the vast audience numbers, hugely talented and valued participants and performers, partnership links and our dedicated volunteers. We have reached out to new areas within Leeds, such as Rodley and Bramley, and hope to continue spreading the celebrations even further next year. The Leeds Gathering exists to celebrate Irish Arts and Culture in general and to introduce the vivacity of this tradition, to both new audiences and old, as something well worth engaging in. In this we can firmly say that the Leeds Gathering 2008 delivered ten fold.