Marquee in Drumlish 'probably biggest festival' of its kind in Longford or Midlands

Longford Country music legend Declan Nerney said the Marquee in Drumlish Festival is thriving and has developed into the best festival of its kind in the Midlands.

The Longford star is also on the organising committee and looking forward to performing in his native area on the last night of the four-day festival, Monday, August 17.

The Declan Nerney Night will feature a host of guests including The Tumbling Paddies, which promises to bring the fantastic festival to a fitting conclusion.

“The Marquee is probably the biggest festival that we have in the Midlands here at the moment that has lasted that space of time.

“It’s going very, very strong now since it was resumed in 2007, it’s going powerfully well all the time.

“It needs to evolve as well too, I suppose, because nothing stays the same but it has been a great great phenomenon altogether.”

Declan said he thoroughly enjoys performing in his native area, but he pointed out while there is a large cohort from Drumlish and North Longford people travel from a lot of the surrounding counties.

“The thing about it is they’re not so much local now because they are from various counties round about.

“A lot of people from Cavan come up, there are people from Westmeath and from Leitrim, particularly from Leitrim because Drumlish is right on the border, it’s close to both Cavan and Leitrim.”

Declan said there is a lot of the younger generation and a lot of people who attend from Longford town as well.

“There are certain venues in the country and certain events that happen that particularly attract a younger generation who like to meet at those because they make it an annual event and the Marquee in Drumlish seems to have been able to capture that [cohort[.

Declan said there is an attraction at the Marquee in Drumlish for all kinds of tastes.

“There is a country night, there is a folk night and that type of thing.

“It used be a total country night but then we changed that because it evolved a little bit.

“We have the The Tumbling Paddies now and it gives everybody a chance to both jive and waltz and carouse and whatever way they want to jive in and have fun.”

Asked why he believes the Marquee in Drumlish Festival continues to be so popular, Declan had a simple answer.

“Well I suppose, I’m not just saying it but the song the Marquee in Drumlish was penned by a man called Henry McMahon who passed away earlier this year here.

“And he was one of the founding members of the Big Tom and the Mainliners.

“The song struck an almighty great chord with everybody that had been going to the Marquee dancing at that time.”

Declan said they used to call it a carnival and it was not called Marquee dancing at the time.

“There was a carnival in Drumlish, there was a carnival in Newtownforbes, Legan, Longford, all the various towns.

“And while it has the caption of the Drumlish on it, it represented every carnival that was in the country.

“And I suppose it exploited the way the Mega dancing was at that time and how people behaved themselves and how they enjoyed the Mega dancing.

“And the various huge bands that used to come to visit these places, people like Joe Dolan and Brendan Bowyer and Big Tom and all the great bands of that time.”

Declan said it was seen through the eyes of a ‘little chap like myself who had seen the razzmatazz’ of the whole thing.

“We got talking to Henry and we put the song together one night in Crossmaglen at a concert.

“I wanted to give praise to the bands and not just to the lead singers, but the great musicians that were in those bands.

“And that’s the thing that’s sort of starting to be eradicated now because technology has come down heavy on musicians with backing tracks and stuff being used.

“I would rather listen to a fella playing the fiddle and accordion in a corner than backing tracks, even though backing tracks are very good, they’re good for the dancing, but it’s hard to be the real thing and musicians.

“So that is what the Marquee in Drumlish represented.

“And it’s a window into the past, and I suppose that is what has led to the success of it.”

Declan said the famous song was penned in 1993.

“It’s still as popular a song.

“You know, you bring out various other songs and they might top the charts for a while and all of that.

“But the Marquee in Drumlish is a song that is requested all the time.”

Declan said he was performing recently at the annual Bonniconlon Agricultural Show.

“We were down in Mayo the other night at the great celebrations.

“We were playing Bonniconlon and I couldn’t believe it, here was an awful lot of young people at this particular event.

“And the song they wanted to really hear and the song were going mad for it was the Marquee in Drumlish.”

Declan said as well as The Tumbling Paddies, he will be supported by another country star Effie Neill.

“There is another couple of chaps I’m hoping to introduce.

“It’s nice to introduce new people onto the scene as well,” he concluded.

The Marquee in Drumlish Festival runs from Friday, August 14 to Monday, August 17.