Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

The fourth edition of Galway Folk Festival comes to Monroe’s this week and spills out into the Westend with a mixture of free and ticketed events, food stalls and local traders. Among the headliners are Lloyd Cole, Fionn Regan, Martha Wainwright and The Scratch – an eclectic mix indicative of a varied, expansive bill overall. In amongst more established acts are emerging artists and local favourites.

Tony Clayton-Lea’s Culture Vultures – a series of engaging conversations with special guests – is another string to the festival’s bow, and, in Seanchoíche, there is even a storytelling session in line with the folk tradition.

Festival directors Peter O’Sullivan and Gary Monroe say that year on year the project is welcoming a greater number of attendees from abroad.

Weekend passes sold out particularly early this time around, with around 70 per cent of sales coming from outside Ireland. Many would have signed up before the lineup had been announced, and they have been rewarded with some big names.

“We’re delighted to have Lloyd Cole headlining, an international act, playing the Town Hall Theatre,” O’Sullivan says.

“Fionn Regan is a big favourite of ours – been trying to get him for a couple of years so we’re delighted to have him on the bill. The Scratch obviously as well – a huge Irish act. Martha Wainwright is back. She played in Monroe’s a couple of years ago for the Arts Festival, and she’s back doing her debut album in full for its 20th anniversary.

“She’s touring that in large venues around the UK and Ireland, so to have it as part of the bill is great. Then of course, there’s the emerging artists and the free events. I think nearly half the bill is made up of free events across the weekend. It’s brilliant to give people that opportunity.”

Monroe’s caters for all sorts of events throughout the calendar, making it a perfect base for the range of acts on the Folk Festival schedule.

“Year round,” O’Sullivan says, “it’s a venue where you’ll see anything from a club night to a spoken word event. We’ve programmed the venue to be like that, where it’s multi-purpose.

Pictured: Lloyd Cole…festival headliner at the Town Hall Theatre.