14th Flax Mill Yard Fest
“You never celebrate alone”
“Ireland’s most spectacular private gathering” (Tommy Sands) is back. After a one-year break the 14th Yard Fest at Dungiven’s “red mill” kicks off on Saturday 8 September. We interviewed Marion Baur, owner of Flax Mill and festival chief.
After the 13th Fest in 2005 you seemed to be sure that this was the end of it. How come you changed your mind?
When we announced that 2005 was going to draw a final line under “the Fest” we were serious. Thirteen years of music and crack galore had also meant thirteen times the hard work and many sleepless nights. We were getting tired and felt that the musical quality couldn’t be lifted any higher. It was also getting harder and harder to finance the event, which operates on our own input and donations by the guests; commercialising it was out of the question.
2006 wasn’t over when we knew that something was missing—in our own lives here at the mill and in many other people’s. I can show you dozens of “letters of protest”: “You can’t let a good thing die” was their common denominator. We just had to admit to ourselves that stopping the fest had been wrong, and drew the conclusion. The result is the 14th Yard Fest on 8 September.
What are we getting this year?
By the looks of things, the best and the biggest fest ever. As usual, we have bent over backwards to bring the finest of music onto the stage. The session after the concert will be superb, with almost all the “masters” of traditional music in the area having announced their coming.
People are coming from various corners of the world; their input of culture, cuisine and countless stories makes it the unique melting-pot it has always been. The chefs are from Berlin; the beer travels from Tauberbischofsheim in the south of Germany; there will be folk from Poland, Denmark, France, Canada, and from God knows where; they’ll be as vital and welcome as those from Belfast, Limavady, or Dungiven.
Some call it the “Commie Fest,” some refer to it as “Hermann’s beer festival.” How political is the Yard Fest?
Though it is not an explicitly CPI event, we have always tried to make it a forum for political exchange and discussion. The relaxed atmosphere and getting together of people from incredibly different backgrounds enhances that, and the music has always been chosen by quality and meaning. When musicians like Tommy Sands or Mel Corry, to name but a few, walk on stage, of course you have a political gig.
The CPI national chairperson, Lynda Walker, is coming for a reunion with fiends from Germany who she met here several years ago. Needless to tell you, she won’t be just talking about the weather to them. SDLP Youth have booked places this time, and of course we will be asking them many questions.
These are but a couple of examples to explain why I think the Yard Fest is one of the most political festivals and a great opportunity for us—“the commies”—to present people with our answers to their questions.
How many are coming, who can go, and what should they bring?
It will be packed to the washers; we never had as many advance bookings. The Yard Fest is an invitation-only event, but, as always, any reader of Unity is welcome.
You should bring yourself and tons of good mood; we’ll see to the rest. But please let us know that you’re coming; even Flax Mill gets to a top limit, and there’s nothing as disappointing as to be turned away.
As for this year, why not make it a weekend and take a trip to Gleann Cholm Cille the day before or the day after. Camp Havana, Ireland’s premier Cuba solidarity event, will welcome you there.
The main acts at the Yard Fest, 2007
The Tennessee Hennessees (Lurgan)
A relatively new band, made up of four veterans of the bluegrass music scene, each of them a master at his instrument and all of them with a huge record in other famous bands. Seán McKerr (mandolin), Mel Corry (five-string banjo and vocals), Bill Johnston (double bass and vocals) and Gerry Thompson (guitar) are sure to create one of the all-time highlights at their first Yard Fest performance. Their tour plan on the web site makes for good reading. The next gig after Dungiven is in Nashville, Tennessee. You better catch them here in case they won’t come back!
Rina Schiller (Berlin and Belfast): Many people have been wanting this folk all-rounder with a multi-cultural background back. Her second Yard Fest performance will be full of surprises. An ethnomusicologist, Rina has incorporated many different styles in her own music, including Balinese gamelan music.
Poetry Landscape (Belfast): A collective composed of the poets Moyra Donaldson, David Smylie, Janet Shepperson, Stephen Gharbaoui, and Mark Cooper. Their audiovisual show is unique and aiming to raise awareness for the preservation of our environment. Their first Yard Fest performance happens thanks to Mark Cooper, who has been reading from his works at previous events here.
Melatonin (Limavady): They are all seventeen, incredibly talented, and we know as sure as we know our names that they are going to lift the roof with their earthy pure rock music. David Anderson junior (drums), Daniel “Dee” Mullan (vocals), Seán Mullan (lead guitar), Ronan Hart (bass) and Michael McMacken (vocals and rhythm guitar) have just won the “battle of the bands” in the north-west and are the hottest act on the rock scene here in the North!
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