Clon guitar fest ‘growing but not growing up’
The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival has announced the first round of 2022 artists as it prepares to celebrate its 18th birthday in style.
Now legally old enough to do the lotto, the wildly popular West Cork festival is tuning up for yet another star-studded line-up.
Music lovers all over the county are chord-ially invited to ‘strum’ together from 9-18 September to enjoy a string of Irish and international pickers, strummers, and one-chord heroes.
Headliners
This year the line-up includes Irish trad legend and national treasure Andy Irvine; Cretan power duo Xylouris White; Montreal-based Japanese psych-rock group Teke::Teke; fingerpicking innovator Yasmin Williams; Americana minimalist Marisa Anderson; Scottish collaborator Kris Drever; and one of Ireland’s brightest emerging talents, Susan O’Neill.
Free session trail
In addition to the headline performances, there will be an extensive and energetic session trail of free gigs occupying every nook and cranny of Clonakilty. With so much packed into this year’s festival, the action will be spilling out onto the streets with more outdoor performances, workshops, and a specially commissioned musical walking tour around the historic streets of the town with Sean Fitzgerald of folk outfit The Deadlians.
Reverb
This year’s Reverb section represents the festival’s strengthening outreach element. Organisers want the benefits of the annual event to resonate as far as possible throughout the local community. They aim to achieve this by visiting schools, hospitals, care centres, as well as hosting concerts and workshops in diverse locations.
Performers announced so far for the 2022 Clonakilty International Guitar Festival are: Andy Irvine; Xylouris White; Marisa Anderson; Teke::Teke; John Spillane; Yasmin Williams; Kris Drever; Susan O’Neill; Sean Fitzgerald; Molly O’Mahony; George Lowden; Sister Ghost; SWEETS; The Kates; Robocobra Quartet; and Les SalAmandas.
Clonakilty International Guitar Festival takes place from 9-18 September. For booking and information including times and venues, visit clonguitarfest.com.