Making magic from light at incredible Longford Lights Festival

The storied history of Longford's Connolly Barracks dates back to the early-seventeenth century. The roughcast rendered limestone walls are imbued with four centuries of colourful history.

Last weekend that history was augmented when Longford Lights 2024 transformed the former army barracks into a place of magic.

After a hectic build up to the event Artistic Director, Caroline Conway, spoke of the tranquility the festival inspired: “Lots of people said to me that once they came into the site all the cares of the world fell away. There was this amazing calmness amongst everybody.”

The gathering was a wondrous celebration of light as a fun-filled art and performance experience for all the family. The light and lantern installations created by a collective of artists and community groups were only part of the menagerie.

Caroline introduced interactive elements to this year's offerings, including the internationally acclaimed Spanish troupe Cal y Canto Teatro, fire dancers, samba bands, giant puppets, and street and circus performers.

The success of the 2024 Longford Lights festival will be measured by the thousands of people who filed through the gates of the barracks: “Apparently there were so many kids in town McDonalds sold out. That's really good to hear, because that shows how popular the Festival was.”

The pageantry of the three night celebration of light charmed all who attended: “It was like going into a magical world. It was very different from last year, it kind of had to be. I brought different performance elements and colours.”

The Artistic Director said the performers got a great reaction: “Cal y Canto are next level. They captivate everybody. It's just so beautiful. The crowd were just all “oohs” and “aahs”.”

Visitors will have seen the samba band snake through the installations like a raucous Pied Piper followed by children and adults alike: “They had a giant puppet, and when they'd arrive at the stage the fire act would perform with the samba band.

“It was a real contrast to the Cal y Canto, and it worked really well. There were little pop-up performances all around the site,” Caroline said.

Longford Lights, in much the same way as The Dead of Night Festival, has established itself as an vital annual event. Both festivals have grabbed the public imagination, in no small part thanks to their popularity on social media.

“So many people post their beautiful images on social media. It's really important that people see how beautiful it is and want to be a part of it. So many people took photographs of the big giant masterpiece as if she was holding the moon. She looked even better in the photographs than she did on site,” the Artistic Director told.

That a light festival should be very visually appealing is no surprise, but the space it now occupies online, putting Longford's best foot forward is one that is priceless: “There was a couple of really lovely drone shots looking down on the site with all the little tiny lanterns in the field and just seeing it as that one big piece.

“The kids that made those lanterns were absolutely amazed how it came together. They'd each made this very insignificant looking little lantern, but it became this one huge artwork. People were very emotional, and that was enhanced by the soundtrack Mick Cronin did,” Caroline said.

Longford Lights 2024 is an evolution of work first created under the direction of artist Tom Meskell in his 2016 Lights in the Darkness. In 2022, as Covid restrictions were lifted Meskell presented The Light Brigade, following it up last year with the first Longford Lights.

Caroline assumed the role of Artistic Director this year and harnessed the creativity of a number of community groups to help make the Longford Lights. These include local schools, Drumlish and Killoe Men's Sheds, Longford Irish Countrywomen’s Associations, Longford Women’s Link, St Christopher’s and the Ethnic Minority Hub.

Caroline says if public reaction is anything to go by then the festival should have a future: “When everything comes together, it becomes something spectacular. As I keep saying, it's magic, Longford Lights shows that magic is real.”