BALLYDEHOB Country Music Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary this June bank holiday weekend.
It's time for the village that is famous for hosting festivals to come alive again – this time to the sound of country music.
The event, which runs from Friday May 29th to Monday June 1st, is a firm favourite on the country music calendar for good reason: it always has the best acts, a perfectly-proportioned community hall for the nightly dances, and 'probably' the best pubs in the world!
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As well as providing top-class entertainment, the festival offers lots of lively dancing, and the holiday buzz that comes with any event that has the full back of the community.
The door for the dances in the community hall open at 9am and the first of this year's headline acts is rising young Wicklow star Jack Keogh (no relation!) on Friday night.
Saturday night's dance features Kildare favourite Micheál English, while the headline act on Sunday night is Donegal’s David James.
Eamon Jackson will provide support across all three nights, which should ensure an unforgettable experience for country music fans from all over West Cork and beyond.
As part of the annual festival, there will be a music trail, which starts at 7pm on Friday evening, and continue right through to the bank holiday Monday night.
As expected, the trail features some of Ireland’s best performers such as Shaun Loughrey, Sabrina Fallon, Bernie Heaney, Aisling Rafferty, Georgina McCusker, Shane Moore, Eddie Lee, Derry Kennedy, Stefan Walker and Dermot O'Hara.
One of the reasons that Ballydehob is so successful in hosting festivals is that it never fails to offer free entertainment for all the family.
This year, the festival’s musical director has curated a special programme of free outdoor entertainment on Sunday afternoon.
The family-friendly event will offer four hours of fantastic live music, featuring Derry Kennedy, Martin Kearney, and the Finbarr Dennehy Family Band.
Festivalgoers are encouraged to join in the fun by taking part in the annual fancy dress competition that is open to both adults and children.
Of course, regular attendees know that the highlight of this event is the celebrity country wedding – a farce worthy of Fawlty Towers and D'Unbelievables.
