Skerries Soundwaves 09 - a HUGE Success !!!

 Even though we say it ourselves, Skerries Soundwaves 09 was a fabulous success. Despite very little money, we managed many great events, and great weather, the whole town was brought together for a fantastic weekend.

Some highlights included:

·         Behind the scenes, five local schools benefited from Soundwaves. Many children in the schools benefited from writing classes with a local writer or arts classes with local artists.

·         The opening night had wonderful performers from many groups. We finished with a much talked about fireworks display in the harbour. We could tell by the clicks of flashes all around the harbour that there were many people out watching us, and the harbour itself was crowded, and closed to traffic to accommodate us all.

·         A beautiful candlelit evening of song and poetry was held in  historic Skerries Mills, and was loved by all who attended.

·         Saturday brought our famous street party, where face painters painted, and character artists and balloon modellers mingled among the crowds; child bounced happily on the bouncing castle, and slid the slides; and Soundwaves balloons bobbed on every tree and lamppost, all to the sounds and dancing of young local talent.

·         Great workshops – music, jewellery making, dancing, mosaic and puppet making – something to suit all ages.

·         The street céilí after last mass on Sunday, with unprecedented crowds dancing outside the church.

·         The wonderful Keith Burke concert in Arabica coffee shop, which was hugely appreciated by the full house.

·         The Lambert Puppet show, having now completed 10 performances for Soundwaves, still sell out every time, and are adored by the all.

·         For the second year, we held the incredible LEGO display. We had about one hundred and sixty amazing displays!! Entrants came from many miles to enjoy this day, and with them brought every imaginable construction – towns, airports, hotels, cars….

·         We finished up with a performance from the wonderful Red Shoes (www.redshoes.ie), and danced the night away after a long weekend.

Check out our photo gallery on http://www.skerriesca.com/. Are you there?

Thanks, as always, to our sponsors The Arts Council, Carroll’s Pierhouse and our private donators… we couldn’t do it without your support. Also to the many local schools and groups that contributed in any way to our community. And to the individuals, those you may have seen around in the yellow t-shirsts, who drink tea and make Soundwaves happen. THANK YOU.

Roll on Soundwaves 10. While we have tons of ideas and know how to make it happen, we are a small group and we really have to beg for some more help from the community. Are you interested in making Soundwaves 10 even bigger and better than ever? Whether you could run a workshop, supervise a bouncing castle, drop leaflets in doors, make tea or even just sweep a floor, we can find a job for you in Soundwaves. The time commitment can be as big or as small as you can manage. Don’t be shy about getting in touch at any time in the next year! SkerriesSoundwavesFestival@gmail.com, or 086-4092602.