Reading My Way Around the World

Friday 27 July 2018

Fiddlers Green Festival 2018

Songs and a picnic at Fiddlers Green to start the annual festival in Rostrevor.
A couple of hundred of us walked up the hill to the clearing at Fiddlers Green to start the festival last Sunday.  For a change, this year the grass was bone dry, it was a gorgeous afternoon, and once we'd all recovered from the ordeal of the climb, it was a splendid start to proceedings.  Performers from Denmark, Germany, America and Spain did their party pieces along with all of us from here while everyone enjoyed their picnic.

Fiddlers Green is a community festival surrounding a folk festival which happens at the end of July every year and attracts a festival family from all over the world.  As well as the music side of things, there's art exhibitions, lots of mountain walks, children's events, traditional tunes and song sessions and far too many late nights and various refreshments to imbibe!  

The invisible partner has been the wonderful weather we've been having.  Thankfully it's not quite as scorching here as the folks over in England and Wales are having to endure, but it's still been in the mid to high 20s which for us is fabulous.  Everyone's out in the street and the atmosphere is great.

We have a gig tomorrow afternoon and then I'm off to see Ralph McTell tomorrow night.  Sunday Tom and I are hosting the final singaround at lunchtime and the final concert with The Sands Family is like a big collective hug to say goodbye to everyone until next year.   On Monday a crowd of us will head back up the mountain (further up this time), weather permitting (there's storms on the way) to finish it all off - that'll finish all of us off too no doubt but a pint of Vitamin G will restore equilibrium when we get back down.  

I hope you all have a great weekend.  

8 comments:

  1. Hi Fil - that sounds like a great series of celebratory events to be a part of ... and yes the weather sounds like it's been really kind this year - and I do hope it holds for the rest of the time frame ... great fun - cheers Hilary

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    1. Another month or so of proper summer would be so wonderful Hilary - fingers crossed. I hope you're enjoying the Canadian summer too xx

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  2. Having good weather, or rather reliable weather, can make planning these wonderful outdoor events so much easier, that said, I have a thirsty garden and a crisp lawn! A touch of rain, mid week, over night, would not go amiss!!

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    1. Yes, overnight rain would be the thing for sure Kate lol I hope your garden has enjoyed the weekend downpour

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  3. This sounds like such great fun Fil - and the photo is inspiring a lot of wishing thinking on my part. I laughed at the idea of a medicinal pint of "Vitamin G" - I'll toast to that indeed.

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    1. lol I have a friend here who always says that - his other lovely comment when you ask how he is, he replies "bits of me are ok!" Always makes me smile.

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  4. It must be so much fun to a part of this musical community. Sorry about the dry weather that seems to be everywhere in Europe these days.

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    1. Oh no Inger - we have had the most wonderful summer - the garden will recover, but my bones needed a few months of sunshine and no rain. Luckily we're slightly too far West for the burning heat although the sunshine we did have has left us too soon.

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