September's final Longford First Fridays event sure to ignite

The organisers of First Fridays Longford have announced that the final instalment of the initiative will take place on Friday, September 6.

This exciting venture from Backstage Theatre and Longford County Council has brought a host of unmissable late night gigs to the people of Longford since first entertaining local audiences at the start of April.

The final flurry is sure to be a thriller with an interactive international ceili. Kicking off the final night of fun is Catherine Young Dance brings her unmissable Céilí Afro Dabke Ukraine to Longford.

PICTURES: 1,200 runners brave elements to take part in Abbott Longford Marathon

After the resounding success of her Ceili in 2022, Catherine is back with this unmissable event which vibrantly mixes and merges African dance, traditional dabke dance from Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, old style Irish céilí dances and Ukrainian folk dance.

Established as a way to bring people from all cultures together, Céilí Afro Dabke Ukraine extends a warm invitation to everyone to meet and dance with your neighbours from around the world.

Featuring world class dancers and musicians including Aindrias De Staic, Brian Flemming, Aisling Lyons, Martin Scharer and Kieran Fitzpatrick.

This is a free Ceili and it takes place on Friday, September 6, at 7:30pm on the Market Square, with the option of the Temperance Hall, if the summer rain interferes with the plans.

Also read: Longford Arts: Bursting with potential

Also under the umbrella of First Friday theatre fans can check out King Lear presented by Backstage and BYT at 8pm in Backstage.

This is directed by Charlie McGuinness and is described as a wildly energetic re-imagining of the classic King Lear by William Shakespeare. The show is perfect for anyone looking for an introduction to the works of Shakespeare and a lovely refresh to the palate for those Shakespearean connoisseurs.

Live music for the final First Friday sees Cronin play a free gig in PV’s Red Room at 10pm. Fresh from the success of The Marquee in Drumlish, the boys will give their usual hig energy shows.

Also read: Longford fundraiser: Continuing the legacy with Trek for Theresa

Those looking to continue the fun can join Re-Jen Collective in Eden Nightclub (PV’s) for a free gig at 12am.

On top of all of this there will be free Trad Sessions in pubs throughout town and fire and circus displays in venues and on the street.

Don't miss what's sure to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening of fun and entertainment, full details on backstage.ie