Members of Fusion project to take part in French festival

Members of Cookstown Folk Club and of the Music Service for Pipes and Drums at their sold out concert in the Burnavon in October 2018

Such was the success of last year’s project in Cookstown that representatives of Fusion will take part in the 10-day festival in Brittany, which celebrates the Breton and Celtic heritages in the area.

Fusion was the result of a 10-month project originally thought of by the head of Cookstown Folk Club, Donald Canavan.

His idea was to bring music, song and dance together to celebrate the local cultures and traditions of Mid Ulster and having them perform together in a blend like no other.

The festival in Lorient is 10 days of entertainment including traditional music, dance, art and visual performances which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the world and features a grand parade in addition to film screenings and a variety of workshops.

After lots of hard work and dedication toward making the local project a success, members of the group will now get to showcase their unique blend of music as they join around 700,000 people and 4,500 musicians, singers and dancers from all over the world at the festival.

Cllr. Martin Kearney, chair of Mid Ulster District Council, said: “I am delighted that Mid Ulster District Council is able to support projects like Fusion that bring together our talented musicians and young people.

“Participation in this festival further signifies the success of and commends the hard work of everyone involved.”