This year’s Bealtaine Festival is close at hand and libraries and community centres throughout the country have announced an exciting and stimulating schedule of events for this year’s line-up, with a month long national festival celebrating creativity in older age.

This year’s festival with the support and encouragement of Age and Opportunity takes place from 1st to 31st May 2007. It is expected to be just as successful as last year’s which involved the participation of over 40,000 nationwide. The theme for 2007 will be ‘Forever Begin’, from Brendan Kennelly’s poem Begin, to focus on events celebrating the joys of constant learning.
The festival, which is now in its twelfth year, will cover all art forms including theatre, literature, dance, film, storytelling, music, painting, sculpture and critical events.

According to a spokesperson for the Older Persons’ Network, the festival aims to “promote meaningful participation in all areas of the arts by older people as well as offering a focus for celebrating the contributions of older artists. The Older Persons Network are hoping that the events will be supported by everyone and welcome everybody to view the various themes which will be on show.”

‘Bealtaine’ was chosen as the name of the festival because of the ancient Celtic festival of that name with its evocation of springtime, freshness and renewal as well as associations with fire and energy.

The carnival is a celebration of creativity intended to renew and refresh. It is also intended to defy stereotypical notions about ageing and to celebrate older age as a time of renewal, creativity and growth.

Most events are organised independently but the festival is coordinated and promoted nationally by Bealtaine and is a unique partnership between Age & Opportunity, national and local arts organisations, public libraries, VECs, health boards and groups of older people around the country.

The Festival aims to bring about a shift in attitudes and practices that will create opportunities for older people to participate fully and meaningfully in the arts.

Anybody and everybody can get involved in Bealtaine at some level, whether as organiser, participant, performer, audience or critic. Older people are involved at every level but people of all ages can take part.

Bealtaine brings older people into contact with members of the wider community including school children in a range of events and in a range of capacities.

If you’d like to get involved or would like further information, please contact the organizing committee on 01 8057704 or log onto www.bealtaine.com