This year's Earagail Arts Festival will be specially extended to accommodate an interactive residency with the all-female Donegal folk group.

Originally due to open on 7th July 2017, Earagail Arts Festival has extended its dates to run from 4th to 23rd July 2017 to include a rare residency by the world renowned Henry Girls.

Opening on Tuesday 4th July, the Festival will kick off with The Henry Girls hosting five days of songwriting workshops, cultural and culinary tours and traditional pub sessions in their homeland at Malin.

As well as a special EAF opening concert by the Scandinavian folk sensations Dreamers’ Circus www.dreamerscircus.com, The Henry Girls will also perform two concerts including their own tribute to New Orleans trio The Boswell Sisters.

Click here to see the trio perform a lively set on The Late Late Show last Friday.

The first acts have been announced and it looks like there is going to be more content in the EAF than ever before!

Other highlights of this year’s Earagail Arts Festival programme include a series of events exploring the punk music movement, specially commissioned dance, theatre, visual arts and circus.

There’s also the continuation of the Donegal International Folk & Roots Weekend and the Wild Atlantic Weekend, and the Festival will continue to be a tour de force for multidisciplinary arts across Donegal.

Earagail Arts Festival has also announced the first confirmed acts and released early bird tickets with a tiered pricing structure. From April 1st – 31st May tickets for the following shows are priced at €12 and from 1st June, tickets will cost €15.

Dreamers’ Circus
8pm 
Wednesday 5th July 2017
Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny

This Scandinavian and Danish Folk Award winning act will play the opening concert of the 29th year of the Earagail Arts Festival at the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, on Wednesday 5th July.

Dreamers’ Circus

Constantinople & Ablaye Cissoko
8pm
Saturday 15th July 2017
The Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny
One of the most authentically inspiring global collaborations, where Persia and West Africa intersect – Irans’ Constantinople & Senegal’s Ablaye Cissoko will be performing as part of the Donegal International Folk & Roots Weekend in Letterkenny.

Constantinople & Ablaye Cissoko

Derek Gripper plus Simon McCafferty
1pm
Sunday 16th July 2017
The Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny
This performance sees a 21-string kora composition from Mali finding expression on a six-string classical guitar, a feat which the legendary John Williams said he thought was “absolutely impossible until I heard Derek Gripper do it.” Derek Gripper will be performing at the Donegal International Folk & Roots Weekend in Letterkenny.

Derek Gripper

The full Festival programme will be released later in the year, but a full itinerary and advance booking for ‘Home with The Henry Girls’, Dreamers Circus, Constantinople & Ablaye Cissoko, and Derek Gripper’s concert are now available online at www.eaf.ie or through the box office at An Grianán Theatre, tel: +353 (0) 74 9120777.

Earagail Arts Festival is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Donegal County Council.