Frances Crampsie
Frances Crampsie has worked in Donegal County Council for the past 17 years, she explains what the Bealtaine festival is and how heavily invested Donegal County Council has been in what is now known as one of Ireland’s biggest events.
“I have been involved with the Bealtaine Festival for the past seven years; it’s a great festival that really brings the older community together.
Bealtaine is a national festival that’s now in its 19th Year, we here in Donegal Cultural Services have been involved in Bealtaine for 17 years, so the cultural services have been involved with it a long time.It’s coordinated by Age & Opportunity and throughout Ireland the festival covers all art forms. It really is quite impressive as it offers over 1,500 events countrywide, said Frances.”
Highlighting the importance of community and culture coming together in these events, Frances thinks it’s a great way of bringing young and old talent together.
“Bealtaine is aimed at the over 55’s but many of the events include the younger generation such as transition year student helping with computer classes, intergenerational story time and cross-generational reminiscence sessions.”
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘And catch the heart off guard‘, a phase from Seamus Heaney’s poem Postscript and this theme has been intertwined into many of the events that are have on offer this year.
“There is a growing appreciation of the contribution that cultural activity can bring to a community’s quality of life’ and ‘Donegal County Council aims to enrich the lives and increase social and cultural opportunities for every member of society. To accomplish these goals we believe it’s important to support and develop programmes like the Bealtaine Festival as it provides the opportunity for the older generation to mix with the younger generation and to pass on their many talents and traditions. The festival gives vitality to the communities in which the events are held.”
Frances urges people to attend the festival saying the lists of events are endless, adding that the majority of them are free.
“There are so many excellent events it is hard to pick out one or two. We have art classes, storytelling, computer classes and dancing classes as well as reminiscence sessions with objects from the Archives & Museum. High Society starring Grace Kelly will be shown in the Regional Cultural Centre Letterkenny and Central Library Letterkenny is hosting lunch time with Ted Ponsonby and friends so come along, you will be glad you did.”
Fun Festival Facts
- An estimated 120,000 people now take part in the Bealtaine festival, making it one of Ireland’s biggest arts festivals.
- Bealtaine showcases the talents and creativity of both first-time and professional older artists.
- The Bealtaine Festival in Donegal has one of the most extensive programmes in the country. It features over 80 events in libraries / taobh tíre centre’s, arts and community venues, community hospitals and day care centre’s throughout the county.
- One of the highlights of the festival for many years was the Dawn Chorus which started in Donegal in 2009 and has been run nationwide since then, this year it’s going stateside to New York City.
- It is organised by the Regional Cultural Centre and Donegal County Library, in association with a wide range of partner organisations.
- All the events in the Exhibitions and Day by Day sections of the brochure are open to the public and the vast majority are free of charge.
- Bealtaine festival brochures are now available in all libraries countywide.
- For more information on the Bealtaine festival and for a list of events go to – www.donegallibrary.ie
The Donegal Council Blog 