Longford to have 'unique' weekend during this year's Marquee in Drumlish

Ahead of the 2025 Marquee in Drumlish Festival, member of the hard working organising committee, Ciarán Lennon outlined the herculean voluntary effort that goes on behind the scenes to bring the epic four-night event to fruition.

Efforts have been ongoing for the best part of the past twelve months and Ciarán explained, “The organisation of the Marquee Festival kicks off once the previous one has finished. We start looking at bands. You have a wrap-up meeting to see what could be done better and what went well.”

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Ciarán said that in relation to the selection of artists that perform on the Marquee stage, there were two main methods. “We do get enquiries directly from artists and then we get enquiries through agents for emerging artists, just to give them some stage time, during some years. Generally, you are going out for bigger acts to book them.”

The Marquee in Drumlish Festival has had many big acts over the years, including, Robert Mizzell, Cronin, Derek Ryan, The Blizzards, Brave Giant and Big Tom.

Ciaran described how the Marquee in Drumlish has improved the local area, such as the facilities for Fr Manning Gaels, who organise the event and what the money is fundraised for.

“It does bring a financial boost to the village, parish and local businesses. It really has social benefits, too, where everyone comes together, helps organise, and attends it. Different clubs and organisations help run it, too. And then you have the many visitors who come to the parish and village around Marquee time.”

Describing the overall setlist as ‘great’ and highlighting all the acts that are on from Friday, August 15 to Monday, August 18, he pointed out that the festival is special because of the wide range of music genres.

“All nights feature over four hours of entertainment,” he said. “We like to have a cross genre of music. You can see that there is a bit of everything from folk to country. It’s a little different from DJ Mark McCabe. We also like to have other events over the weekend, like our kiddies’ disco on the Saturday and Monster Bingo on the Sunday.”

Ciarán continued, “The Marquee in Drumlish has a proven track record of being a great weekend of entertainment and music. It’s a great village. North Longford is a great place to visit. The Marquee in Drumlish has a unique feel about it.”

With all the organising done, the Marquee in Drumlish is ready for another year of success and memories for those who attend and have taken part in making it happen.

Ciarán concluded, “As a committee, we want to thank the volunteers who have come on board. It is entirely volunteer driven.

We want to thank those who come on board as sponsors each year. Mulleady Properties is the main sponsor. We have received support from Longford Community Resources, Longford Tourism and Longford County Council. We’re really looking forward to welcoming everybody to Drumlish over the festival weekend.”

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The Marquee in Drumlish 2025 runs from Friday, August 15 to Monday, August 18 with the opportunity to pay by card or with cash at the gate.