The arts were truly celebrated throughout Enniskillen last weekend as the Fermanagh Live Arts Festival (FLive) presented an eclectic programme of events with something for all tastes.
The festival ran from Thursday, October 6 to Sunday, October 9 and seen great support from arts enthusiasts and novices alike.
This year seen the return of some festival favourites such as award-winning comedian and performer Seamus O’Rourke who had audiences in fits of laughter with his one man show, 'The Handyman', at the Ardhowen Theatre on the Friday night.
Fermanagh Film Club screened the comedy drama 'Licorice Pizza' at the South West College Erne Campus, while retired architect turned storyteller and historian, Richard Pierce, also returned with a new talk on the topic of self portraits and what they tell us about their creators, in the Ardhowen.
Saturday afternoon was dedicated to spoken word with a triple bill of events in Pat's Bar kicking off with an epic performance by acclaimed Leitrim poet Stephen Murphy. Audiences were enthralled as he performed his latest work 'A Misty Morning on a Fermanagh Farm'. This was followed by the All Ulster Poetry Slam final where spoken word artists performed their original works in the hopes of landing a place in the All Ireland Poetry Slam final.
Winner of the All Ulster Poetry Slam is Claire Cormican, who represented Fermanagh in the competition.
Claire Cormican and Robert Elliott represented Fermanagh, having been placed first and second respectively in the Fermanagh heat of the competition the week previous. With creativity shining through her words, pared with a confident and performative delivery, Claire wowed the judges, winning the competition outright. The slam was hosted by poet and wordsmith Frank Rafferty.
Robert Elliott representing Fermanagh.
The triple bill of spoken word concluded with an Open Mic in association with The Thing Itself, hosted by Stephen Murphy and talented Fermanagh poet Kate O'Shea.
Niall Ó'Mianain.
Other literary events included an atmospheric book reading aboard the MV Kestrel with writer Priscilla Morris, author of ‘Black Butterflies’ on the Friday evening, while fiction writer Bernie McGill, author of ‘The Watchhouse’, gave a creative writing workshop and book club reading in the Ardhowen on Saturday morning.
Saturday night seen Classical Folk music trio Iona Sound perform at FLive for the first time. Rory Pierce (Low D Whistle, Cello, who is originally from Fermanagh), Max Greenwood (Piano) and Brid Cannon (Violin) performed a concert of Traditional Folk music accompanied by dreamlike visual projections of the landscapes of Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia in the Ardhowen.
Kevin J Adcock, Author, speaking with pupils from Enniskillen Model and Mullanaskea Primary Schools.
The festival provided something for all ages with a number of special events organised specifically for children. Children's author Kevin J. Adcock lead a shared education book reading event with local schools, while a beautiful storytelling of Oscar Wilde's 'The Selfish Giant' and 'The Happy Prince' performed by Michael James Ford took place in the The Enniskillen Hotel.
Kevin J Adcock, Author, speaking with pupils from Enniskillen Model and Mullanaskea Primary Schools.
On the Sunday afternoon, the formidable duo of concert pianist Ruth McGinley and saxophonist Gerard McChrystal brought their show 'Sax to the Max' in the Methodist Church in Enniskillen, performing a stellar set of Classical, Jazz and Traditional inspired music.
Ruth McGinley on piano.
Jazz featured prominently on this year’s FLive line up with North West based Jazz quartet ‘Jazz Gazette’ taking to the stage for a ‘Gin & Jazz’ night in association with the Boatyard Distillery, in the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen on Saturday night, while jazz singer Victoria Geelan and pianist, Scott Flanigan, performed in the Ardhowen Gallery bar on the evening of Sunday, October 9, bringing the festival to a close.
Gerard McChrystal.
FLive would like to thank the individual event sponsors and the overall sponsors, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Enniskillen Business Development District and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.
Evelyn Hassard.
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