The Irish language is to be at the heart of one of Ireland's greatest music festivals and we're bringing you right there with the help of the Gaelic League.
This August IrishCentral is holding a celebration of all things Irish language and Irish music! We've already visited Milwaukee Irish Fest and hosted our own Pop-Up Gaeltacht but this weekend, we're bringing you even more with a look inside one of our favorite parts of Ireland biggest and best music festivals.
This weekend music lovers are heading to Stradbally for Electric Picnic 2019 and we'll be right there with them with the help of Conradh na Gaeilge (the Gaelic League). The Irish language lies right at the heart of the festival with An Puball Gaeilge (The Irish Tent), the Hazel Wood After Dark program, and of course, the designated Gaeltacht area of the campsite, where attendees can choose to camp to both speak Irish over the weekend and be alongside other Irish speakers.
On Saturday, August 31, Conradh na Gaeilge will be taking over our Instagram account @IrishCentral, to bring you to the heart of Electric Picnic with plenty of music, craic and of course, Gaeilge.
You can follow it all throughout the day by following us on Instagram here.
"Throughout the summer, Conradh na Gaeilge have brought the Irish language to centre stage at some of the biggest festivals in Ireland - Body & Soul, Kaelidoscope, and Electric Picnic, as well as supporting Féile na Gealaí in Gaeltacht Ráth Chairn," said Niall Comer, Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge (President of the Gaelic League).
"We have received so much positive feedback, and it is really encouraging to hear that we are playing an important role in promoting and normalising the language with #CroínaFéile."
Conradh na Gaeilge invite festival goers to wander in the Hazel Wood After Dark, where Irish language, culture and music will reign, to celebrate Croí na Féile sa Chollchoill. Poets and musicians of bilingual collective REIC will guide wanderers through the woods, bewitching them with beautiful melodies and explosive acts - The Housekeepers, Just Like Us, The Shandrum Céilí Band, Dó Fá Dó to name but a few - closing the festival with Disco Anocht taking to the decks under the cover of darkness in the moonlit woods.
Listen to the storytellers and singers who will gather fireside along the outskirts of the main arena of the festival. Share stories of your own too, in the comfort of Raidió Rí-Rá’s outside broadcasting corner under the shelter of the trees, where they will be live on air from the festival site.
Are you heading to Electric Picnic this year? Let us know in the comments section, below.
This August, we're celebrating Gaeilge (the Irish language) and Irish music with a series highlighting those around the world speaking and learning Irish, and playing Irish music. Visit our dedicated music section here or our Irish language section here to read more.
You can follow throughout the month by using the hashtags #ICMusic, #ICGaeilge or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Do you have an idea for a story on Irish music or the Irish language? Why not join IrishCentral's contributor's platform Irish Voices? You can learn more about it here and sign up here.
Read more: Watch live from the largest Irish festival in North America