Féile an Phobail
| Féile an Phobail | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre |
Music Irish traditional music, rock, indie rock, world, folk, ska Other Debate, Irish dancing, Irish literature, humanitarianism |
| Dates | Various (see #Festivals) |
| Location(s) | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Years active | 1988–Present |
| Founded by |
Siobhán O'Hanlon Gerry Adams MP Danny Morrison |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Féile an Phobail (The Community's Festival), also known as the West Belfast Festival is a community arts organisation known for its August Féile (Festival). The organisation is prominent for its promotion of Irish and international culture. The festival takes place on and around Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The festival was established in 1988 as a direct response to the Troubles, and specifically after the events of March 1988. The Special Air Service killed three Provisional Irish Republican Army members in Gibraltar. At one of the funerals of the three, an Ulster loyalist paramilitary attacked the funeral with grenades and pistols, killing three mourners (see Milltown Cemetery attack). At the funeral of one of the mourners, two plainclothes British servicemen were killed when they drove into a funeral procession (see Corporals killings). The community of west Belfast came under intense media scrutiny and was described by the British Broadcasting Corporation as a "terrorist community".
Seeing this portrayal of his community as negative, misleading and damaging, Gerry Adams gathered a small amount of friends and various local groups to organise a community festival. Its purpose was to celebrate the positive side of the community: its creativity, its energy, its passion for the arts and for sport. The Féile was, and is, aimed at providing events and entertainment at a price that the majority of the community could afford.
In August 1988 the first festival opened with a relatively humble parade of floats and bands and Gaelic Athletic Association clubs walking in their club regalia to an open-air party in Dunville Park. Street parties were organised throughout the west of the city. Door-to-door collections were made to fund day trips to the seaside for pensioners and outings for young people.
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Wikipedia