The Donegal Gathering 2012 Launch on LiveTrad

Laying claim to some of Ireland’s greatest musical talents from Altan to Clannad to members of The Bothy Band and more besides, the connection between Co. Donegal  and traditional Irish music goes back several hundred years, and probably beyond.

But while great musicians have gone about their work, bringing the Donegal name with them when they’ve performed around the world, drawing visitors to events that have taken place within the county has been a trickier proposition.

It’s true that The Earagail Arts Festival, The Frankie Kennedy Winter School and The Ballyshannon Folk & Traditional Music Festival – to name but some – are successful and are respected the world over, but getting visitors to make the long trek from the usual access points into the country in Dublin or Belfast has been an uphill task.

But this year, all that could change. Challenging times notwithstanding, the range of top cultural events taking place throughout the county in 2012 will ensure that even the most travel weary of tourists will find the  county’s call irresistible.

The Donegal Gathering is the moniker being used to bring all of these cultural events under the one umbrella. Top traditional music events like The North Atlantic Fiddle Convention (taking place in Donegal & Derry in June & July) and Oireachtas na Samhna (October-November) are just two Festivals of international standing taking place in the county this year.

Donegal Live (May), Sea Sessions (July) and The Bluestacks Festival (October) will all have a diverse range of event, including music, theatre, visual arts, even carnival, and lots of great traditional Irish music events will take place throughout the county this year.

The online launch of The Donegal Gathering here on LiveTrad.com on Wednesday February 8th 2012 will provide a flavour of all of the events which lie ahead. Moya Brennan, who has brought the Donegal name the world over during a long career with Clannad, T With The Maggies, or as a solo performer, will cut the ribbon, so to speak, when she performs live during the webcast.

We’ll provide you with lots of information about the whole range events taking place during The Donegal Gathering across different cultural genres. There will also be competitions galore, tickets to events and some great traditional Irish music to enjoy during Wednesday’s webcast.

The Donegal Gathering have just launched their new Facebook page, with opportunities for you to win prizes ahead of the webcast, and links to many of the events taking place can be accessed here. They also hope to launch their own website in the coming weeks, outlining greater detail about the year ahead.

So do join us on Wednesday as the events are launched. The show starts at 6pm GMT, it’s free to air, and if you ever felt like having all of the information you’ll need about traditional Irish music at your fingertips, you now know the where and when – www.LiveTrad.com Wednesday Feb 8th from 6pm GMT.