Celebrating its 32nd birthday, Féile Derry, the city’s biggest community arts festival promises a programme of jam-packed events until its closing concert in the Gasyard.
On Thursday evening, the audience at An Impossible Peace – Made Possible, with journalist and author Brian Rowan, will hear a previously unheard and newly digitised 1995 taped conversation with the late SDLP leader and Nobel peace laureate John Hume.
Féile’s Thursday night concert will be headlined by popular Co Tyrone Irish Folk / Rock band The Whistlin’ Donkeys. It will also showcase a host of home-grown talent including, The McCafferty Sisters, Luke Mac, Kevin Doherty and Ruáry.
Another highlight will be the Lúnasa festival, also on Thursday, kicking off with the Creggan Games – an intergenerational team sporting event – at the Fanad Drive sports grounds of St Cecilia’s College.
Its closing possession of light, through the street’s of Creggan, will begin at 9.15pm.
Over the past few weeks, a willow bull structure, which will form a centrepiece for the Lúnasa procession, has been created by young people and the artist Brendan Farren.
An Impossible Peace – Made Possible takes place at Pilots’ Row community centre at 7pm.
The event is a presentation of Brian Rowan’s latest work – an analysis in writing and on tape of the making of the 1994 ceasefires and how they changed the political landscape.
Brian said: “Ceasefire was a word of hope here 30 years ago, something that was hard to believe. Looking at it now, in this international context in the Middle East, it has almost become a dirty word.
“Essentially, An Impossible Peace – Made Possible looked at the journey of the word ‘ceasefire’.
“I was also motivated by the fact if you go looking for the people of 1994, they are very hard to find.
“For this piece of work, I have been able to get onboard a number of people who were absolutely critical to the events of ‘94 including, Gerry Adams, Nancy Soderberg – the Clinton adviser key to getting the visas for Adams and Joe Cahill in ‘94 – Sir Ronnie Flannagan, and Albert Reynolds’ daughter Miriam.
“It was really trying to get this done while it still could be done. I hope in some sense it is with a contribution to memory and history,” said Mr Rowan.
He added: “What these conversations convey is the nervousness of peace, the risks involved in peace, and the leadership required for peace.”
The Féile Derry 2024 programme can be found here.
