merrion street

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will today, Friday 5

July 2013, officially open the Clonmel Junction Festival.

Now in its 13^th year this well regarded multi-arts festival offers a broad range of high quality Irish and international theatre, music and arts experiences to the people of the region and visitors from overseas alike. The Clonmel Junction Festival is working year round producing, presenting and promoting arts events in the Clonmel region of South Tipperary, culminating in an annual 10 day festival each July

Speaking at the launch Minister Deenihan said "The 2013 Festival promises to be another exciting series of events keeping community involvment at its very core. Indeed, the Junction Festival is notable on a national basis for its committment to providing rich opportunities for participation, collaboration and in particular, youth engagement. It is not only a true sign of the imagination and vision of its founders, but also a testament to its loyal and growing audience. I am pleased that the Arts Council provided funding of €90,000 to Clonmel Junction Festival for 2013"

The launch takes place in ‘The Media Cave’, a multi media art installation space held in a disued shop for the duration of the Festival. The public are invited to visit the space and engage with the artists. Much of the work on display is interactive and will evolve and change as the week goes on. The Festival aims to engage the young people of Clonmel with the artistic process through the Primary Schools Banner programme and schemes like the Trainee Scheme, the Play and Plan programme and the Story Circle. Additionally, the We Can Be Heroes programme fosters and nurtures young musicians as they embark on careers in the arts. The programme reaches fruition in this years Festival with a performance by 15 young rock musicians alongside established musical artists.

The Clonmel Junction Festival takes place from the 5th to the 14th July.