Caistor Celtic Festival 2007

The marquee was up in the park, so something must be happening. The same marquee had been there for the last two years and the people of Caistor were getting used to it. The flags were up in the town, many nationalities were represented from around the world but you could say the Celtic nations were flying highest, this was their day in Caistor. The posters and banners were up around the town and the signs were on the road side as far a field as Lincoln and Scunthorpe. Something must be happening – but nothing ever happens in Caistor!

It was easy to get tickets, they were available in all the shops in the town, you could even have them posted to you or delivered to your door. The bands had been booked two months ago and were travelling up from London and Cardiff today. None of them had ever been to Caistor or even heard of it, rural Lincolnshire is not on the usual tour route – but today they were coming to Caistor. The bar was up in the marquee, as were the flags (more flags) and the scene was set. Even the weather was promising better, we were going to escape the rain, we might even be able to sit out in the park and enjoy what should be a cracking night.

The programme was due to start at 4.00pm and as early as 3.30pm there was a steady stream making their way into the marquee. Most of these early arrivals were coming to watch their children sing and dance, perform in front of a big crowd on a big stage. And perform they did magnificent and professional in front of a swelling crowd of around 250 enthusiastic people. The Caistor Celtic Festival always aims to support the local schools and encourage local artists, to give everyone a chance and to support local talent. We are privileged to have the support of the teachers at the Primary School and local dance teachers who never fail to bring out the best in the children who in turn never fail to amaze and enthral everyone who watches them.

Families were now arriving and claiming their space in the park, the sun was surprisingly warm and the wind had died down, a perfect evening to listen to live music and have a chat with friends.

“How much are you charging” asked the man with four young kids in tow.

“£10 for an adult and £5 for children over 12. There are concessions for families. We have four superb live bands, irish dancers, the kids from the Primary School, Scottish Pipers and Scottish Dancers all for £10. There’s also a licensed bar ‘til 12 and a hog roast. That’s not bad value for £10”

The man walked away. Obviously he thought it was too much.  Maybe he thought we were making too much profit from this, charging £10. The aim of this event is to make something happen in Caistor, at least once a year, we don’t make a profit out of it, we are sometimes lucky not to make a loss. Without the support of our sponsors like Sealord, the local people who look forward to it and continue to buy the tickets and the continuing efforts of an enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteers this event could not happen.

So what did he miss – the man who would not buy a ticket?

Mise were outstanding! Playing irish music with a belief which belied their years they captivated their audience with two half hour sets and received a richly deserved plea for an encore.

The Hennessy’s were magnificent! “We have been playing together for forty years now” Frank Hennessy announced, and it showed. Their music was flawless and their performance impeccable.

Hungrygrass were highly impressive! They stepped it up a gear with some of their own compositions and as the volume increased so did the numbers on the dance floor.

Neck were monumental! Neck were loud and Neck were proud. Proud of their roots and of their heroes. They played tributes to ‘John Lydon’ and ‘The Clash’ but not as you’ve ever heard them played before. Caistor had never heard the like of this before but those who stayed ‘til the end will long remember the night of 07/07/07.

Unlike the words of their song, their was no ‘Anarchy in the UK’ - or in Caistor -  just a good craic.

We’ll be back again next year to do the same again bigger and better, louder and prouder than ever, if only to prove that something does happen in Caistor, when you make it happen!

Many, many thanks to all who helped again to get this off the ground, you should be proud of your achievement once again. Thanks also to the many people of Caistor who always support the concept and keep the vision alive.

If you have any comments on this event or would like to air your views to the organising committee please email us at comments@celtic-events.com