Longford's Cruthú Arts Festival continues to deliver!

As the weekend approaches the events of the Cruthú arts festival come to a climax. The festival set a high bar on Wednesday night when they held 'A Night At The Pictures.

Last night PV's was the venue for a well received poetry readings followed by an astonishing evening of music. Starting off with the mellifluous tones of Shane Kennedy and concluded with the frenetic performance of Andrais de Staic and the Latchikos this was the very epitome of what an arts festival sets out to achieve, unbridled entertainment and communality.

Over the remaining few days there are many more gems of entertainment on offer. Making their name busking on the streets of Galway City about a year ago, POMPE!, are fast becoming a regular fixture of the city of culture, with dance sessions breaking out spontaneously on a busy shopping street.

POMPE will be playing jazz standards in the style of Django Reinhardt today (Friday) from 9.30pm in Lyons' Bar beer garden.

Also this evening The Enchanted Island presents a 'promenade play' that takes the audience to the legendary vanishing Island Hy-Brazil and invites you for a walk with the fairies.

The show is today (Friday) with two one hour performances starting at Longford County Council Office Blue Building, Longford at 5pm and 8pm.

The play extends an invitation to explore the effects of climate change in places near the ocean through playful sadness. The audience walks within audio landscapes where merfolk sip seaweed tea inside eerie underwater buildings, Seagull-John cooks white birds over trash fires, and dreams and magic appear in multiple forms to fight our lack of belief in their existence.

Duration approximately one hour route approximately three kilometres outdoors, please wear proper walking shoes and dress according to the weather. The recommended age is 10+, and children must be accompanied by parents.

All day today the Art Gallery Exhibition runs to 5pm in Providers.

Saturday and Sunday in Longford Town there will be a walkabout and performance by Louise Ding Ding and Ro with the Flow.

They are two of the brightest and liveliest street performers in Belfast. These funnies will be providing immersive and interactive walkabout performance to the streets of Longford at this years’ 10th Cruthú Arts Festival. From tittering around on tall stilts, to a wondrous array of object manipulation and even a dash of acrobatics, you will be mesmerized by their skill and wit! This performance will be on the streets from 2pm to 5pm.

A Street Show in Pig Market Lane will also be on Saturday. Watch out for the pop-up kids’ circus show by the ridiculous Ro with the Flow and laughable Louise Ding Ding. These two have joined forces to produce a silly and fun-filled show for all the family. There may be some balloon animals, there may be some clowning around, but there will definitely be lots of circus!

A multi-disciplinary street show with humour and skill combined. Come find us on the streets of Longford this weekend for the 10th annual Cruthú Arts Festival.

The Festival 'headline act' will be Hermitage Green who perform in the mystical setting of St. John's Church, Longford on Saturday from 7:30pm to 11:00pm.

Their expansive and riotous songs, delivering heartfelt and poetic ballads, made all the more stunning by the power of their four-part harmonies.

They will be supported by Is Amble, a trio of new contemporary Irish folk musicians consisting of Robbie Cunningham, Oisin Mc Caffrey, and Ross Mc Nerney, hailing from the Midlands and West of Ireland.

Closing this year's Cruthú Arts Festival will be the fantastic Strasbourg Youth Symphony Orchestra who will perform in St Mel's Cathedral from 7.30pm, on Sunday (July 23).

The Closing Ceremony starts at 9pm on Sunday on the Market Square. This will be a fire display that will have to be seen to be believed.