Details of the first ever Music in Community Festival were announced yesterday at the official festival launch which took place at The White Horse in Ballincollig. It is sponsored by Voxpro, and supported by Cork County Council and Ballincollig’s business community.This free family festival will take place in Ballincollig Regional Park on Sunday 30th August from 1pm to 6pm, and will be a celebration of Cork’s musical heritage; and is coinciding with Cork Heritage Week 2015. With the unique waterside backdrop of Ballincollig Park, Music in Community (MIC) will present an eclectic mix of music genres, from trad to classical to rock, culminating with headline act Jerry Fish. The festival will also embrace Ballincollig’s unique heritage and will feature a trip through the history of Ireland’s largest Industrial heritage site (the second largest Gunpowder Mill in the UK & Ireland), the Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills.
One of the main organisers of the Festival is Joe Carey, founder of The White Horse Guitar Club and owner of The White Horse Bar and Restaurant. Joe stated “We wanted to create something that will bring together the rich musical and historical heritage of Cork and of Ballincollig, something that will suit all ages and tastes. Ballincollig is fast becoming a fun destination for families throughout Cork, with the fantastic new facilities for families in Ballincollig Park and easy access thanks to the South Link Road, and we wanted to celebrate this with a special end of summer festival that will become an annual event. As soon as we approached Voxpro, they wanted to get involved with the festival and have been fantastic to work with. Likewise, Cork County Council and the business community in Ballincollig have been of huge support- we’ve been so fortunate to receive this much support from the Ballincollig community.”
Entry to the festival is free of charge and is being sponsored by Cork County Council and the local Ballincollig business community. It also has received strong support from the Ballincollig Heritage Association, Ballincollig Business Association, and Ballincollig Tidy Towns. Joe said “It’s testament to the sense of community that all these strong organisations are coming together to support the inaugural festival, and through the launch we are sending out a call to the wider business community to get involved. We have an opportunity through the festival to attract people from all over Cork to Ballincollig; for visitors and our own communities to see first-hand the wide range of facilities we have on our doorstep. We urge all businesses to support the festival as much as they can and invite them to celebrate our rich heritage and join in on the festivities, welcoming all of the visitors to our town on the day.”
Main sponsors, Voxpro, are proud to be involved with the festival. Dan Kiely from Voxpro said “We are so looking forward to Sunday 30th August and delighted to play a part in supporting the festival. It appeals to us as it is about bringing communities together in a fun filled family day and based on feedback with our own Voxpro community, I know that many of them have already put the date in their diaries, and will be heading to Ballincollig Park with their families and friends to join in the fun.”
TD for Cork North West Áine Collins, who has been lending her support to the festival stated “This is an exciting time for the Ballincollig area and I am delighted to help the organisers in any way possible. Ballincollig has such a strong sense of community and all of the individuals and organisations working hard on this inaugural event need to be supported. Through the festival I hope people come from the four corners of Cork and beyond to experience everything that the area has to offer. With the tenacious team behind the festival I have no doubt that this festival is going to grow and grow and become a very important fixture for the Ballincollig community, as well as being a perfect platform to showcase what a great place Ballincollig it is to work, live and play.”
Joe Philpott, who is one of the producers of the festival and well known in music circles for his work with MIC and as a member of Cork band Ruby Horse, added “The afternoon will be a patchwork of music, narration and poetry which will be unveiled beginning with a traditional Irish group of musicians. This will be followed by the Carrigtwohill Gospel Choir linking faraway destinations which supplied ingredients such as saltpeter to Ballincollig for use in the production of gunpowder.”
Next the Brandy Lane Orchestra will present a string group to perform a mix of crossover classical music. Brandy Lane in Cork City was the site of an explosion of gunpowder from the Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills which had been “lifted” by workers living in Brandy Lane – three houses were destroyed and over 20 people slain.
The White Horse Guitar Club will perform a mix of Irish and Americana Music highlighting Ballincollig’s links to the American Civil War through Ovens born General Patrick Cleburne, who was the highest ranked Irishman to participate in the War.
Finally, Music in Community will present the magical musical delight that is Jerry Fish. Just days before he hosts his own stage at Electric Picnic, Cork will get to experience his wizardry in the flesh.
For more details of the festival visit Music in Community’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MICmusicincommunity
