Warm welcome awaits at Cairncastle Ulster Scots Country & Folk Cross-Community Festival

The festival in the Halfway House Hotel, Ballygally, will feature international bands covering Irish, Scottish, country, bluegrass, Iranian and Ulster-Scots music.

Cultural and musical evenings commence on Thursday, July 27, with The Grouse Beaters playing a mixture of Irish, country and Ulster-Scots songs, plus Tartan Riot playing an exciting blend of traditional Ulster-Scots and rock music with bagpipes to the fore. Furthermore, Bright Lights School of Highland Dancers from east Belfast will provide a dance display and Behnam Pour (Santoor) will play an Iranian musical instrument.

On Friday, July 28, there’s bluegrass, featuring Belfast soloist Cormac Crummey on the banjo; The Knotty Pine String Band from Omagh playing bluegrass and American roots music and the Bluestack Mountain Boys - Dublin Bluegrass Collective, playing traditional bluegrass songs and instrumentals.

On Saturday July 29, there’s a soirée of Scottish, country, Irish and showband music, featuring Dona Dasgupta providing Indian dance display; country singer Michael McSparron; Stonewall Band from Portadown playing Ulster-Scots songs and The Second Chance Group from the showband scene. Evenings commence at 7:15pm, admission £10.00 each payable at door.

Workshops Programme

Workshops are also being held in the hotel as follows:

July 27 - Ulster-Scots and Irish Languages (1.30pm); Ulster-Scots & Irish History (3.00pm);

July 28 - History of Bluegrass Music (2.00pm). Admission free.

An afternoon of gospel singing will be conducted by Hugh Brownlow, on Sunday, July 30, at 3.00pm in Cairncastle Presbyterian Church Hall featuring singer Billy McFarland and showband musicians Billy McCombe, John Burns and Cecil Brown from Second Chance Group. A collection will be taken in aid of a charity.

The festival concludes with a ‘Musical Bus Tour’ on Wednesday, August 2, touring the north Co Down coast after leaving the Halfway House Hotel at 9.45am with live music on the coach and a music session in Newtownards. There will be time for shopping etc before returning at approximately 6.00pm for a meal in the hotel. Price is £25.00 each.

Cairncastle Ulster-Scots Culture Group said it “would like to welcome everyone to our festival and hope they have an enjoyable time, meeting old and new friends” and expressed thanks to its funders, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and the Community Relations Council.