We hope to see ye again in 2009, Sept 17th - 20th.

LE MÍLE BUÍOCHAS,
CLONGUITARFEST.

Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, 18th - 21st September 2008

The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival first established in 2005 with thanks to the sponsorship of Guinness and local sponsors, is a celebration of one of the worlds most versatile and influential of all musical instruments and pays tribute to all who strum those hallowed six strings. From September 18th to the 21st a huge array of national & international virtuosos and innovative guitarists will once again descend on the seaside town of Clonakilty washing the streets and pubs with every pick, every strum and every tone of music that any acolyte of this glorious instrument could wish for!

As far as guitarists go there aren’t much greater than self taught Jazz legend Martin Taylor MBE, ‘one of the most awesome solo guitar players in the history of the instrument.’ - Pat Methany. In a musical career that has spanned across four decades, Martin has invented and developed a way of playing the guitar that is admired, and often imitated, by guitarists all over the world. As well as being a true guitar innovator, he is also a master concert performer, dazzling audiences with his solo shows, which combine virtuosity, emotion & humour, with a strong stage presence.

For all those with classical inclinations China’s internationally acclaimed ‘pipa lute’ soloist Liu Fang will no doubt satisfy. This child prodigy has performed and studied all over the world and is renowned for her virtuosic and expressive interpretation of traditional pipa and guzheng music from the classical and folkloric traditions. Celebrated in the press as being "one of the greatest virtuosos", "the empress of pipa’s" (L'actualité, 2001) solo recitals evoke the beauty and the richness of this ancient music, as well as the subtle delicacies of the instruments by the power and sensibility of her play. In 2006 she was awarded the prestigious l'Académie Charles Cros award.

Ireland’s newest teenage rock sensations The Deans will unleash their own take of fearsome blues that has Henry McCullough (Wings, Joe Cocker) hailing them as ‘the most exciting and energetic band I have seen since Woodstock’. This teenage three piece from Galway are the real deal, and are set to echo all the great Irish guitarists that have left their mark on the International rock scene over the last thirty years, with their long hair, check shirts and blue jeans they not only look the part but have the guitar guts, musical intuition, showmanship and skill to back up all their recent comparisons to greats the likes of Gallagher, Fean and Eric Bell.

All the way from some unknown part of the USA comes the mysterious one man band Bob Log III ‘the helmet wearing bluesman’. Dressed in a blue jump suit and a motorcycle helmet with a girl on his knee and a scotch by his side Bob Log III has rocked festivals allover the world with his sleazy bizarre blues and counts Tom Waits as one of his biggest fans.

This year will see the addition of the guitar festival’s first progressive Metal artists Shiro; This five-piece from Derry consists of the cream of musicians from Northern Ireland’s thriving metal scene. Such is the calibre of their other collective projects and bands that this line-up has all the suggestion of a supergroup. Their up-beat, subtly complex take on metal has seen them compared to the likes of the Deftones, Tool and Sikth. This is metal as it should be, technical and intelligent but not at the expense of creativity or emotion, and of course fucking heavy! More artist to be added, check back for details......