Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the country’s oldest Irish arts festival, Oireachtas na Samhna, which takes place this week in Killarney.
Providing a platform for the traditional arts, the festival plays an important role in Irish cultural life and affords an opportunity for people from Gaeltacht areas and Irish speakers from non-Gaeltacht areas to come together.
As many as 10,000 people are expected to attend the cultural event which celebrates Ireland’s traditional music, art and storytelling traditions.
Uachtarán an Oireachtais, an Dr Gearóid Denvir, opened the event on Wednesday afternoon at an event at the Brehon Hotel.
The festival began with a presentation of 37 prizes, from a prize fund of €30,000, to the winners of literary competition.
Former winners of an Chomórtas Liteartha 2023 include Pádraig Mac Piarais, Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Joe Steve Ó Neachtain and Louis de Paor.
Among this year’s winners were Colm Ó Ceallacháin for his book Fiche, Páid Ó Neachtain and Bróna Ní Uallacháin for ‘Nois Tá’s Agam and Antain Mac Lochlainn for Éanna Corr.
Congratulating the winners, Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha, Ceannasaí an Oireachtais, said: “Déanaim comhghairdeas ó chroí leis na scríbhneoirí ar fad ar bronnadh duaiseanna liteartha orthu inniu”.
“Is léiriú é caighdeán na saothar ar an mborradh atá faoin scríbhneoireacht chruthaitheach i nGaeilge i measc an uile aoisghrúpa,” she said.
First held in the Rotunda, in Dublin, in 1897, Oireachtas na Samhna not only provides a platform for the traditional arts and competitions such as Corn Uí Riada (sean-nós singing), Steip (sean-nós dancing) and Lúibíní (two people answering each other in poetic verses), but it also features book launches, seminars, debates and cultural workshops.
About 900 participants, including established and emerging talents from the world of music, poetry, literature, debate and storytelling, will take part in 60 competitions which are being hosted in several venues in the Co Kerry town.
Every event planned for Oireachtas na Samhna will be conducted entirely in the Irish language and Killarney, which is hosting the festival for the ninth time since 2010, will become a mini-Gaeltacht for the duration of the festival, which runs until Sunday.
Each year, Oireachtas na Samhna awards a lifetime achievement award in recognition of excellence by a person working in the Irish-language media sector. This year’s award is to be presented to Belfast journalist, columnist and commentator Eoghan Ó Néill, former news editor in Lá Nua and the Andersonstown News.
Social media users can follow events at the #OnaS23 hashtag. Listeners can follow events on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, while BBC Gaeilge, Raidió na Life, TG4 and Raidió Fáilte will also broadcast from the festival.
Ticket prices range from €15 for individual events to €100 for a festival ticket.
For event listings and ticketing information visit antoireachtas.ie
