merrion street

Dinny McGinley T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will launch the seventh SiarScéal Festival in Roscommon Library at 10am tomorrow morning (Saturday, 9th March).

Canadian Ambassador Loyola Hearn will also address the event, and prizes will be presented by the Mayor of Roscommon Tom Crosby and the County Librarian Richie Farrell. Newfoundland author and film director Eleanor McGrath and Sligo poet Ann Joyce will facilitate readings and workshops during the day, and students from the Abbey National School will perform a Poetry to Music recital for the Canadian Ambassador.

SiarScéal is a diverse, bilingual festival celebrating the history, storytelling, and culture of the people and the countryside from the River Suck to the River Shannon. The festival offers a range of events to the people of the surrounding area.

SiarScéal 2013 will celebrate The Gathering, which is also the theme of this year’s Hanna Greally Literary Competition. The Ger Hanily Memorial Cup will be presented to the writer who best expresses their local pride in Roscommon in the context of The Gathering.

Foras na Gaeilge provide funding for festivals the length and breadth of the country under Scéim na bhFéilte, and SiarScéal is a prime example of a festival that promotes both the Irish language and the arts.

Minister of State McGinley said: “I am delighted to open the SiarScéal Festival. As Minister for the Gaeltacht I am proud that this Festival has been assisted by funding from Foras na Gaeilge, and I commend the organising committee and the countless other people who have volunteered their tireless effort for months and indeed years to set up this Festival. The arts in Ireland are in good stead while local groups such as these work with this kind of commitment.”