DylanFest 2019 Events on Friday in Culdaff

Ryan O'Dochartaigh

DylanFest 2019 Events

The great Al Diesan, probably the best Dylan act in the world, will be in Culdaff tonight. He will be playing in iconic music venue McGrory’s. They have had some great acts in there over the years but Al would be up with the best of them.

After missing the DylanFest last year, Al is back. He played a fantastic gig in Rosatos to open the festival on Thursday night. McGrory’s is in for a treat.

Ryan O’Dochartaigh in McGuinness’s Bar in Culdaff

One of the best bands ever to play the DylanFest are the Dylanites from Derry. They will be playing in the Marquee in McGuinness’s Bar in Culdaff on Saturday night. They play Dylan upbeat and you see lots of people getting up to dance to Dylan songs when they play.

The main man in the band is Ryam O’Docgartaigh and he will play in McGuinness’s Bar or Marquee tonight. He was originally booked as a solo act but I hear that he will be performing with someone else in a duo.

Catch Both Acts

The great thing about the whole thing is that Dylan fans can catch both acts. Al Diesan starts at 9:30 tonight and Ryan at 10:30.

Both of these acts have to be seen. They’re both fantastic.

It should be a great night in Culdaff.

Al Diesan DylanFest on the Lough Return

DylanFest 2016 - Al Diesan in Rosatos

Al Diesan DylanFest Return

The first Al Diesan DylanFest gig for two years will take place in Rosatos on Thursday the 22nd of August. Al had to miss last year because of injury. As Al is arguably the best Dylan act in the world he was sorely missed.

Indeed one local Dylan fan, who has seen Dylan over 20 times, said, “I think I prefer to see and hear Al nowadays than Bob Dylan.” When reminded about it a few days later he said “well maybe I went a bit far”. But maybe he didn’t.

Al Diesan Comes All the Way from Italy

Al flies in every year he can make it from Calgliari in Sardinia off the coast of Italy. To get here and get back home again Al has to get six planes two buses and two taxis. He opens up the festival on the Thursday night and close it on the Sunday night.

It is his annual pilgrimage. He has been to most of the Dylan festivals across the world, including the big one in California where he was the first non-American to play.

Here is where Al will be playing:-

Thu 9:30 – Rosatos (Moville)

Fri – 9:30 – McGrory’s (Culdaff

Sat 10pm – Ferryport (Greencastle)

Sun 9:30 – Rosatos

DylanFest in Culdaff – Welcome to the Swinging Sixties

DylanFest in Culdaff

There will be a DylanFest in Culdaff this year as well as Moville. It is the first time that Culdaff have really been in it.

We had a trial last year when McGrory’s asked for a Dylan act for the Saturday night. It was supposed to be the great Al Diesan playing. However, he had injured himself in a fall and had to pull out. Shaun Hiboy from Moville deputised.

McGuinness’s and McGrory’s Join DylanFest in Culdaff

Shaun must have done pretty well as McGrory’s decided to take acts on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this year’s DylanFest. Not only that but McGuinness’s Bar in Culdaff joined them in coming in for all three nights.

Indeed McGuinness’s are going to put their acts on in their Marquee.

And what acts they are.

Culdaff – DylanFest Programme of Events

Here’s the programme for he DylanFest in Culdaff during the festival.

Friday (Aug 23d)

9:30 – McGrory’s – Al Diesan

10:30 – McGuinness’s – Ryan O’Dochartaigh

Thursday (Aug 24th)

9:30 – McGrory’s – Cajum Moon

10:30 – McGuinness’s – The Dylanites (5-piece)

Sunday (Aug 25th)

9:30 – McGuiness’s – Michal Thomas

9:30 – McGroroy’s – Mr Jones

For further information on those acts click on DylanFest Music Acts

Europe’s Biggest Bob Dylan Festival Comes to Derry / Londonderry

Europe’s Biggest Bob Dylan Festival

A festival of music by the iconic music legend Bob Dylan will be coming to the Legenderry city in late August 2018. Venues are already being booked for it.

It is an extension of the festival that has been running in Moville, Donegal since 2007 called Stuck Inside of Moville, the DylanFest on the Lough.

Acts come from all over Europe to perform at it and Dylan fans come from all over the world to be there.

Said Tara Boehm, who has come over twice by herself from Philadelphia for

Tara Boehm

Tara Boehm

Moville’s DylanFest “The DylanFest is cool beans. It was an amazing experience with a new advernture around every corner. It’s great craic. Great cheer and an awesome experience all round. I made some great friends.  I’m bummed that  can’t make it this year”.

Stuck Inside of Moville

Said organiser Gerry McLaughlin “accommodation is booked for miles around in Moville for the DylanFest and so we thought that it would be time to expand it and L/Derry is the most obvious place to spread to.

“I’ve already had great help from L/Derry council and Visit Derry who already run so many great events in Derry like the Jazz Festival. It makes putting on the DylanFest a lot easier.

“We’ve already had great demand from venues who want to put it on. I’m told that a DylanFest will be very popular in L/Derry.”

Mayor of Derry

It seems that L/Derry is very much mlooking forward to it too.

Said the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh: “I am delighted that the popular DylanFest on the Lough is now extending itself down the Foyle and into Derry City for 2018.

“It is an event that has grown year on year since it began in 2007 and has attracted visitors and performers from all over the world to sample the North West’s famous hospitality and celebrate the work of one of the great songwriters of our time, Bob Dylan.

“We look forward to welcoming those visitors to our City and District in August, it is an event that I’m sure local people will come out and get involved in too and is part of a packed programme of events planned by Council for Summer 2018 including the Foyle Maritime Festival in July.”

Councillor Martin Farren

Said Donegal Councillor, Martin Farren, from Moville, who has seen 11 annual DylanFests on the Lough there, “I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of those who have been involved in putting together the DylanFest in Moville for the past 11 years and none more so than Gerry McLaughlin who came up with the idea 11 years ago. It has gone from strength to strength growing bigger every year.

“I would like to also take the opportunity to wish those who are organising the joint DylanFest in Moville and L/Derry, in 2008, every success and Moville is happy to be sharing this great event with the people of that great city of L/Derry.”

All Along the Watchtower

The L/Derry part of the DylanFest on the Foyle will be called All Along the Watchtower as many of the venues taking part are in Waterloo Street in the shadow of Derry’s Walls.

The words from All Along the Watchtower are an allusion from from the Bible (Isaiah) and are from Dylan’s Christian period. The title itself is derived from a passage in Isaiah:

They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; oil the shield! For thus the Lord said to me: “Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees. When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very diligently.” Then he who saw cried out: “Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed whole nights. And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!” And he answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.”
(Isaiah 21:5-9 ESV)

Isaiah 21 is a prophecy against Babylon, known widely for The Tower of Babel, which was built by man and intended to reach up to the Heavens.

Displeased by their intentions, God came down and scattered the formerly united people, creating a language barrier between them. This sets the tone for the song, which is ridden with Biblical and apocalyptic imagery.

Al Diesan from Sardinia in Italy

Among the acts already booked to come is Al Diesan from the island of Sardinia in Italy. He comes to the DylanFest on the Lough every year to play.

DylanFest 2016 - Al Diesan - Rosatos

DylanFest 2016 – Al Diesan – Rosatos

Al needs 6 planes to get here and back plus numerous taxis and buses just to play at the DylanFest.

Al goes to all the Dylan Festivals in Europe and last year went to the main one in America in California. He was the first non-American to play at it.

Said Al “Of all the Dylan festivals I play at the one in Moville is the most enjoyable. I am glad to hear that it has expanded to Derry. I played a gig once in Derry before when I came and look forward to doing so again.”

Visit Derry

Derry is becoming a major centre for music festivals.

Said Odhran Dunne, General Managerof Visit Derry.

The city is renowned for its fantastic festivals and events calendar and the Dylan Fest Music Festival will be a welcome addition to the busy summer 2018 programme. Events are a major driver of tourism business to the city, enhancing and complimenting the destination’s cultural offering to provide a LegenDerry experience for our visitors”.

The DylanFest on the Lough will take place in L/Derry and Moville from August 23rd to 27th on the bank holiday weekend. For more information see www.DylanFest.com or the Facebook page DylanFest Moville.

To see the DylanFest Acts available click on DylanFest Music Acts.

To see the venues involved so far click on DylanFest Venues.