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@ the Ennis Trad Festival
Ennis in County Clare is regarded as the "Nashville" of Irish traditional music and this scenic market town hosts a very special festival each year.
Talented Irish and International session musicians, arrive in the town to perform in over 20 venues, bars, pubs, hotels and even the local church. The festival, is seen to be for an 'informed audience', the good amateur, semi professional and professional musician, and the serious listener, but what's in store is a party and a unique celebration.
The documentary provides access to an international audience to the relativly unknown pursuit of the Irish Music Festival. It attempts to explain the relevance of the Music Festival, explain what Irish music sessions are about to both familiar and unfamiliar audiences. Importantly, the film attempts to understand the experience for musicians who are sleep deprived fuelled by copious quantaties of alcohol in order to sustain marathon sessions performing great music. The film also provides an opportunity to meet a multitude of eccentric characters who follow the Irish music festival circuit in Ireland and abroad.
Essentially organised by musicians for musicians the festival provides a forum for the leaders in their field to come together, exchange experiences and ideas and share their music with their contemporaries. It is a connection, a communion between musicians. Many of those who attend and play are at the forefront of Irish traditional music today, carrying this mantle into the future.
The event happens towards the end of the festival season. Musicians from all over Ireland and from around the globe converge, bringing with them a mix of styles, influences and repertoires.
The documentary will feature the music, both formal concerts and informal sessions, and incorporate interviews with some of the major players and more interesting festival goers.