An exciting bundle of events planned for Féile an Fhómhair in Letterkenny

Letterkenny’s Autumn festival, Féile an Fhómhair, will run from Friday, September 29, until Sunday, October 8. Organisers are looking forward to welcoming those who speak Irish, those who are learning Irish and those who are interested in doing so.

The first big event of the festival will be the Lá Mór Spraoi, a Family Fun Day, which will take place in the town Park on Saturday, September 30 between 12 and 4.30pm with a variety of workshops running during the course of the day. 

Úna Ní Bhriain from Ceol na Coille will be running a music workshop, Feena from The Arty Fox will be doing art, Maria Coleman from Comhcheol will have fun with participants with a  drumming session while Sarah Marie from Pinehill Studio will get people dancing. There will also be a traditional music session with young local musicians, tea, coffee and treats available in the marquee and ceannairí or young leaders present to help with the events and to do face-painting.

The really important thing about the Family Fun Day is that it gives people an opportunity to drop in, to meet others, to have some fun and to speak Irish or even learn some new words and phrases in Irish. A great deal of Líonra Leitir Ceanainn’s work is about community development and days like this are absolutely central to that.

On Sunday, October 1, there will be a guided walk for adults with Aodh Mac Gairbhe as our guide and a bus available from Letterkenny to take walkers – registration is essential at pobal@lionralc.ie.

On Wednesday, there will be a screening of the film Róise & Frank in Century Cinemas at 8pm. Tickets only cost €5 and people can buy them in the festival office, they can send you a Sum Up link, please  contact pobal@lionralc.ie for further details. You can also buy them from a Líonra Leitir Ceanainn member on the night. You will also have the opportunity to meet up before the film at 7pm in Backstage Bar & Grill and / or afterwards in the Station House Hotel. Organisers are eager to give people the chance to chat. 

And as for opportunities for conversation, there will be plenty happening during the festival as there will be a Pop-Up Gaeltacht in The Cottage on Friday, September 29 at 8pm, a Ciorcal Comhrá at the Chill Out Café on Saturdays at 12 noon, organised by Cara House, a Ciorcal Comhrá at Cara House on Mondays at 10am, a Ciorcal Comhrá every Tuesday in the Líonra Leitir Ceanainn office at 7 Castle Street between 10am and 11am.
The Oíche Ghaelach Irish Night is the big event on the calendar for Irish speakers in the Letterkenny area. This event will take place again in Castle Grove Country House Hotel on Friday, October 6 where there will be a fabulous three-course meal and wonderful music on the evening. Tickets cost €40 and are available from members of the Líonra Leitir Ceanainn committee, from the office at 7 Castle Street or you can be sent a SumUp link or bank details to pay for them without having to call in. There is a limited number of tickets – so, please be quick.

There will be a guided walk for families on Saturday, October 7 and to finish up the festival there will be a family music session together with Comhaltas in the Silver Tassie on Sunday, October 8 at 4pm.

While these are the events for the public we even have more happening in the schools. Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair and Annie Quinn will be running storytelling and art workshops in Gaelscoil Adhamhnáin. A group of young storytellers from Coláiste Ailigh will be visiting some of the other primary schools in the area too and bringing with them some of the great Irish language resources developed by Donegal County Library. In cooperation with Highland Radio and Learning Waves they are providing a full day of workshops to the Transition Year students in Coláiste Ailigh. 

Each student will attend three workshops – Áine Nic Suibhne will be exploring media literacy, Caoimhe Ní Chathail will be helping the group develop their radio skills and Póilín Nic Géidigh will be helping them film and edit content for TikTok.

We are very grateful to Foras na Gaeilge’s Festival Scheme from which we received funding to run this festival. You can contact us on 086 0751663 pobal@lionralc.ie and 074 912 7479.