Ards International Guitar Festival: return of long-running festival is music to ears of organisers

The news that live music could return to indoors venues in Northern Ireland came as music to the ears of the team behind the long-running Ards International Guitar Festival.
By Graeme Cousins
Published 2nd Mar 2022, 15:06 BST
Musicians Paddy Anderson and Sam Davidson along with Festival Director, Emily Crawford launch the 2022 Ards International Guitar FestivalMusicians Paddy Anderson and Sam Davidson along with Festival Director, Emily Crawford launch the 2022 Ards International Guitar Festival
Musicians Paddy Anderson and Sam Davidson along with Festival Director, Emily Crawford launch the 2022 Ards International Guitar Festival

The emphasis isn’t so much on the international this year due to uncertainty over travel restrictions at the time of putting the festival together, but at short notice the organisers have pulled together some top draws for the event from April 7 to 10.

Festival director Emily Crawford said: “2020 got cancelled at very short notice, I think we had to plug the plug at 10 days notice whenever we went into lockdown, so we’re glad to be back this year.”

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The festival, now in its 26th year, is organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council to celebrate an instrument that is synonymous with Newtownards.

Emily said: “There still is a guitar factory in Newtownards, it’s now the Avalon guitar factory.

“Going back 25 years it was the Louden guitar factory. The festival started as a tourism and economic driver for the town, to show off the fact that we’ve got this great guitar factory here and all these great guitar players in Northern Ireland.

“When it first started it was quite small, low key and very much kind of acoustic and classical, over the years it’s grown into all genres of guitar.”

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Of this year’s line-up Emily said: “We don’t have as many international acts this year as we ordinarily would, that was purely because whenever we were programming we didn’t now what the travel restrictions were going to be like, but Jon Gomm is definitely up there as being an absolute legend on the international scene as far as his technique goes.”

Other highlights include a show for all ages from Kyle Riley and the Unholy Gospel Band led by Cormac Neeson.

See the full programme at www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk

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Related topics:Northern Ireland