First Ireland-China arts and Moon Festival

BALLYFERMOT Civic Centre was transformed into a cultural hub this past weekend, as it welcomed locals to the first Ireland-China Cultural Arts and Moon Festival.

The evening, which followed the slogan “one moon, one world, stronger friendships”, saw two cultures come together to celebrate the full moon on Friday, September 25, an important event on the Chinese calendar.

Performers from China and Ireland came together to showcase the incredible talent that exists in South Dublin, with the likes of the Ballyfermot Trad hub, Irish dancers, Chinese Guzheng and Drum Group and Chinese dance groups taking to the stage.

The idea to host such an event came from Dublin 10 Honorary Lord Mayor, Anne May and Chairperson of the China Ireland Cultural Association, Annie MacCarthy, who put their heads together to come up with a cross-cultural event for the community.

After having met with the Manager of the Civic Centre, Dolores James, the plans came to fruition thanks to the help of the volunteers and performers.

The Civic Centre’s Media Co-ordinator, Caroline Ennis, explained the hard work and attention to detail that went into making the event such a success.

“Annie had a team of great people, and Dolores had a team of great people around who lived locally, including volunteers, and people within the Civic Centre itself, who helped out. There was meeting after meeting after meeting, and they all turned up to make it work.”

The vision behind the event was to bring families, friends and neighbours together to celebrate culture and unity, on a day that is traditionally family oriented.

Tickets sold out in no time for what proved to be a “really good night”, and the turnout for the event exceeded expectations.

Audience members were treated to hours of both Irish and Chinese music, Tai Chi showcases and Kung Fu Martial Arts from Kurt Scott.

John Dwyer, Jenny and Finn sang several songs written by the well-known songwriter Jimmy MacCarthy, who is married to Annie McCarthy. Jimmy wrote songs such as “Ride On” for Christy Moore and “Katie”, which was sung by Mary Black.

The event emphasised the importance of celebrating friendship, which in this case was done through arts and tradition.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme