Line-up unveiled for the 2009 Liverpool Irish Festival

Oct 15 2009 Chester Chronicle

THE line-up for this year’s Liverpool Irish Festival has been announced, along with a major new sponsor.

The festival, which starts on October 16 and runs for two weeks, will include music, theatre, poetry, traditional sessions, film and lectures. The festival is now in its seventh year.

In a new partnership, Guinness is the main sponsor of this year’s festival which celebrates the historic and cultural links between Liverpool and Ireland.

Musical highlights include The Celtic Tenors, the Sharon Shannon big band feat, Damien Dempsey at the Philharmonic Hall and Anthony John Clarke at St Michael’s.

The streets of Liverpool city centre, including Liverpool One and the Bluecoat, will play host to groups of musicians in the afternoon of Saturday, October 18.

Other festival events include renowned traditional fiddle player Martin Hayes, performing at St George’s Hall with Dennis Cahill and Irish language films at FACT.

There will be a strong focus on education with talks and lectures taking place at Liverpool University’s Institute of Irish Studies.

A heritage walking tour of the city’s key Liverpool Irish sites, which has proved popular in recent years, is again part of the programme. For more details, visit the website www.liverpoolirishfestival.com or call 07804 286 145.