EL FEILE strives to be a contemporary multidisciplinary Celtic Arts brand of excellence. The March festival is at the core of the project. The festival programming is unconventional in that there are many Irish and Celtic festivals around the world that focus on the traditional elements but few who as a mandate seek to demonstrate how these traditional art forms and cultural aspects permeate a new generation of artists. Different music genres, literature and comedy, traditional and contemporary dance, theatrical adaptations, new visual art, cinema, sport - each element unable to belie its roots. Somehow Barcelona is a most fitting place to attempt this where the antiquity and Old World beauty of the Gothic Barrio sits easily next to the modernity of Gaudi and the art of Miro. Not forgetting everything in between. We are open to all projects and ideas. Fundamental to El Feile is a commitment to offer a platform to and support young artists, expat and locals, to put their talent up there. Our headline act, whatever the discipline is, always supported by an artist who wouldn't normally get the opportunity to get their work direct to our audience. We seek to have the core programme closed by the previous November each year but will listen to and seek to facilitate ideas right up to the days of the event. The extent of Barcelona's popularity and success as a tourist destination these days means that it is imperative for travelling Artists or Organisations looking to take part in the festival to get in touch with us no later than the previous September. Submissions should be sent to submissions@elfeile.com 2008 THEME - 'Dublin in the rare new times' This year we have sought to draw the spotlight on the capital of Ireland, Dublin and its rich cultural heritage. With a history that goes back to the Vikings, Dublin has been at the forefront of Irish culture and politics for a millennium. It has seen many changes in that time, from a mediaeval settlement, to the second city of the British empire, to the focus of Ireland's war of Independence to what it is a modern capital of the economic success story that is the Ireland of today. There has being a few constants that have permeated all this change. The people and their strength of identity has created a culture all its own but built firmly on the Celtic foundations of the Word, spoken and written and Music and Art. It is a city that has an incomparable global cultural reach through Joyce, Beckett, The Dubliners, and U2 to name but a few for a population under 2 million. KíLA are a great example of how Gaelic culture and language can flourish in the modern Irish capital. They are the ultimate in contemporary Irish traditional music with a new album that is stunning and after their last performance here in 2006 we knew we had to have them back. The music most synonymous with Dublin is that of the great ballad groups like the Fureys and the legendary Dubliners who have so many fans in Catalonia. The heir to these legends throne are the seriously energetic live show that is The Dublin City Workingman's Band. They will be a dream come true for fans of the genre. The DCWB will be our first ever festival band and will perform across the programme, principally each night in our festival club which we predict will be the stuff of legend. Speaking of legends the great Ronnie Drew has had a very tough 2007 with the tragic passing of his wife Deirdre and a tough battle himself with cancer. The Irish music industry led by Bono and KíLA has gathered to pay tribute to the great man and wish him the best with the recording of a special song 'The Ballad of Ronnie Drew'. El Feile will be offering an opportunity to his many Barcelona based fans to send their best wishes via this website and a book in our festival club. The DCWB will be devoting a part of their set to his music on Friday 14th and from us all at El Feile - Get well soon Ronnie! To send your best wishes, click here. They will create a strong music promotional platform to help launch a whole bunch of new music from locally based talent that El Feile has being helping to promote including: Garrett Wall. Based in Madrid these days Garrett is a great example of the Irish singer songwriting talent, well known on the Dublin music scene. Since his relocation to Spain he has found a whole new sound well worth checking out. Comedy is huge in Ireland right now and one of Dublin's finest, Andrew Maxwell has quickly staked a claim as one of the funniest comics in the world. He is a true dub and has even presented a promotional video on the city. His current show 'Waxin' was nominated for the ultimate prize in comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe last year. With lots of other elements yet to be finalised, short of redirecting the River Liffey down Calle Numancia, Barcelona will certainly feel a little bit of Dublin over the weekend.

Eng - Cat - Cast   CURRACH LAUNCH... March 31st 2008: Photos of Mark Redden's Currach-launch have been uploaded to the site, check them out... Read More >> AER LINGUS COMPETITION WINNER... Congratulations to Sandra of MS Barcelona who has won the free flights to Ireland competition with Aerlingus. Enjoy...