Manchester DylanFest stars head for Moville

Manchester DylanFest stars head for Moville

The organisers of the Moville and Manchester DylanFests are working together to ensure that both towns get the best acts.

Two of the acts from Moville’s DylanFest, Paddy McLaughlin and Matt Whoriskey have been invited to play at Manchester’s Dylan festival at the end of August and Paddy has been asked to give a talk on Dylan’s Irish influences, especially as regards the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

Coming the other way are the recommended Mickey the Hat, who played at Rosatos and The Waterfront last year, as well as Nadia who sang a brilliant reggae version of All Along the Watchtower at the Manchester DylanFest last year and Tina McKevitt & Matt Hegarty.

The Manchester DylanFest takes place in late August and goes on for three days. The organisers of it are now working in tandem to provide each other with the best acts for their respective DylanFests. Last year there were about 30 acts on in total at the Manchester Acousticfest, as it is called.

This year’s DylanFest in Moville will take place in four pubs all weekend long, July 2-5. In a variation from last year, there will also be live, unplugged Dylan music in the grounds of Gulladuff House in Moville. Gulladuff is the oldest continually inhabited house in the area and predates the town of Moville, that was built largely since 1835. The grounds contain the oldest bridge in Ireland dating from the 6th century. On the Saturday afternoon and evening of the DylanFest, festival goers will be able to listen to Dylan music in a picturesque setting.

Said organiser Gerry McLaughlin, “The DylanFest will kick off with Steph Buhe, once again coming over from France for the festival, playing the first gig on opening night in Rosatos. The festival is to be titled as Stuck Inside of Moville. All Dylan fans will understand the allusion. We are also hoping to put on a Dylan table quiz and a talk on Dylan’s Irish influences”.

For more information and accommodation see www.craicon.com/moville or to follow it in luxury take part in the Derry Journal’s competition for a Champagne Weekend for two at the nearby Carlton Redcastle Hotel, Golf & C Spa.