Festival evening to include music and ceilidh dance in night of fun

Festival evening to include music and ceilidh dance in night of fun

9 March 2022

THE countdown is on to the Rowallane and Slieve Croob Community Group’s festival evening of music and ceilidh dance which takes place next Wednesday, March 16, at Ballynahinch’s Millbrook Lodge Hotel at 6.30pm. 

The festival evening was unable to take place for the past two years due to the coronavirus, with everyone associated with the group delighted that it is all systems go this month.

The programme line-up includes singers, dancers and musicians and after the evening’s formal programme, there will be a short break for refreshments.

During the second part of the evening, there will be traditional ceilidh dances, called by Raymond Carroll to tunes played by Tom McGonigle and fellow musicians from Castlewellan on a range of instruments. 

Twinning group officials are disappointed that their French visitors from Lamorlaye and Spanish visitors from Vimianzo in the Galicia region of Spain are unable to join them for the festival evening, but look forward to welcoming them back to the district next September.

This month’s festival evening brings to an end another busy year for the twinning group and, thanks to to funding from Newry Mourne and Down Council, the group was able to fund six interactive art/water colour painting workshops in the Rowallane Community Hub. 

Patricia McCormick from Killyleagh Artistic Holistic led the classes between November and February 2022.

Meanwhile, Irish For All classes have been running in Ballynahinch Market House from September with students ranging in age from 17 to 91.

Community group officials say the language is delivered in a fun, interactive way, through song and dance (Hokey Cokey) with a WhatsApp group with weekly recordings, videos and images helping everyone keep up if, for any reason, someone is unable to attend. 

The Irish for All class will continue until June and the twinning group hopes to be able to fund an intermediate level follow up next year.

The last of the group’s three wellness sessions take place next Friday, March 11. Thirty therapy sessions will have been delivered by a local therapist Donna Holly from the Wellbeing Company NI, with participants able to choose from a range of hands-on treatments, such as head, back massage or reflexology. 

Another highlight this year was a presentation by Úna Walsh from South Armagh on Celtic Folklore and Legend.

Held at the Montalto estate in January, participants were treated to a lively presentation of Celtic myths and legends, which have been passed down through the generations. Úna is a passionate local historian.

Refreshments were provided to allow the group to enjoy a face-to-face conversation, with the event concluding  with a leisurely walk around the Montalto estate nature trails. 

The twinning group recently held an extraordinary general meeting when a revised constitution was adopted.

The group has applied for charitable status and a management team, along with office bearers, will be elected at the annual meeting which takes place on Monday, April 25.

Officials have also confirmed that eight projects have been submitted for funding and over the next 12 months, with the group hoping to move forward with more cultural, sporting and language events.

Tickets for the festival evening at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel on March 16 are available by making contact via RSCCTG@mail.com or telephone on 07979 304479.