Taking place on the weekend from July 26 to 28, the Faoin Tuath is an unmissable queer festival organised at the Common Knowledge Centre in Kilfenora. Featuring events ranging from skill workshops, traditional music sessions, live music and DJs, film screenings, and shared meals, the festival promises to be the event of the summer for those looking to escape the busy city.
The July festival is a Queer Sheds project, a new initiative based in Ireland’s rural areas which aims to address the social isolation experienced by LGBTQ+ people in the countryside. Starting in County Clare with a six-month pilot program to explore networks of support, Common Knowledge, a non-profit social enterprise project, was inspired by the work on Men’s Shed, which confronted the impact of isolation.
The idea for the Faoin Tuath festival came about after an LGBTQ+ residency run by Common Knowledge along with the National LGBT Federation (NXF) as part of the Homeworks project. This year’s festival aims to break down feelings of isolation to raise visibility by building a long-lasting queer community.
Located in County Clare at The Common Knowledge Centre in Kilfenora this July, the queer festival boasts an impressive lineup. Skill-sharing workshops include building a bat box to create safe spaces for bats, exploring queerness in nature through wildlife tracking, and learning about fermentation, exploring fundamentals of flavour, and enjoying a ‘queer mocktail’.
View this post on Instagram
There will also be live music performances from queer Irish singer-songwriters, including Branwen Kavanagh, a County Clare native who incorporates her inspirations of folklore, dada, poetry, and theatre into her music. The festival will feature additional performances and events from Dylan Kerr, 7of9, Amir Abualrob, Dyke Nite, Queer Trad Session, and more.
Full weekend tickets to Faoin Tuath are selling for €130 and provide full access to all events. This offer includes performances, workshops, finer on Friday evening, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday.
Daily tickets are also available for purchase: Friday night from 7-11 pm (€20) includes dinner, the short film screening, and the queer traditional music session; Saturday night from 7-11 pm (€20) includes access to the evening events featuring Branwen Kavanagh, Baptist Goth, Amir Abualrob, 7of9 and more; or Sunday brunch from 10-2 pm (€20) includes access to brunch and the Dyke Nite DJ’s performances.
Tickets to the festival are available to purchase here. More information on The Common Knowledge Centre, transport, and accommodation is available here.
Whether you can stay all three days or can only spend a night, the Faoin Tuath queer festival is one not to miss!
The post New festival Faoin Tuath launches to connect queer people in rural Ireland appeared first on GCN.