Sculptors at work, songwriting workshops and African drumming are just some of the activities on offer at this year's Boyle Arts Festival, which opened last night. The Roscommon festival has come a long way since it started in 1984 with just a display of art. This year's 10-day festival kicked off with a singer-songwriters' workshop hosted by Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim man Charlie McGettigan. "There is a wealth of singer-songwriters locally, most of them with a traditional, ballad style," Rhona Feely, festival co-ordinator, explains. "This year, we thought we should recognise this talent. It's a first for us."
In another departure, next Monday, eight sculptors will set up base for a week at Feelystone, a local monumental works. The public will be able to walk in and see the sculptors at work, creating art from Kilkenny limestone. Completed work will also be on show, most notably Seamus Dunbar's sculpture of a family - First Steps - which was commissioned for a housing estate in Croom, Co Limerick.
Arts festivals have often been accused of not involving the "ordinary people". But, according to Ms Feely, this is the "people's festival".
"Hundreds of locals are involved," she says. Over 50 local artists are displaying their work in the Church of Ireland school, while the Moylurg Writers are reading some of their recently composed poetry and prose. Meanwhile, seven workshops on everything from meditation in clay work to salsa dancing should satisfy a few curiosities.
"We have the best mixture ever this year so there should be something to suit everyone," Ms Feely says. Big names this year include celtic group Anuna, Belfast artist Basil Blackshaw and Dublin writer Dermot Bolger.
Over the past 16 years, has any item spectacularly flopped? "I wouldn't say "flopped", but we have found that bringing in touring drama groups with modern theatre doesn't really work. On the other hand, plays put on by the local drama groups are packed out every year. I suppose we have a fairly conservative audience," Ms Feely says. They had also found it difficult to get a large audience to listen to a modern composer's work. Tonight, in an effort to change this, the work of contemporary composer Ian Wilson will be performed alongside pieces by Beethoven and Haydn.
The festival relies heavily on voluntary efforts. "Because we do this purely on a voluntary basis, we will never be as big as the Galway or Kilkenny festivals but we will strive in that direction," says Ms Feely.
