Skyfest
Encyclopedia
Skyfest is an annual fireworks display
, accompanied by background music compiled by Mark McCabe
, which takes place in Ireland
. It forms the centrepiece of the annual St. Patrick's Festival
in the country and is usually held on the Saturday before or after Saint Patrick's Day
, a national holiday in the country. The fireworks display took place for a number of years in the country's capital, Dublin; however in 2008 it relocated to the Rock of Cashel
, County Tipperary
. In 2009 it was held in Waterford
, and in 2010 it was held in Limerick
. It is to be held on March 19th in Wexford
in 2011. The display is televised live on RTÉ One
and is currently sponsored by the National Lottery
.
Skyfest took place in Dublin from its inception until 2006. The 2007 event, which would have been the final one in the capital with an expected attendance of 200,000 people, was eventually cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. In 2008, Skyfest relocated to the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary.
In 2009, the event took place in Waterford for the first time. It commenced at 18:30 on 14 March. The display occurred on the city's quays along the River Suir
. The event was expected to attract 50,000 people but, due to the unanticipated arrival of crowds of people on the day of the event, the actual figure was closer to 100,000. Live music was also provided by the Irish folk music/world music
band Kíla
and local percussion
group Torann, alongside that of the DJ Mark McCabe who compiled a set which featured music from U2
, Enya
and Kings of Leon
. The event received its usual televisation on RTÉ One, presented by Derek Mooney
and Laura Woods
, the latter of whom also presented a special televised national lottery draw from the region.
Skyfest in Waterford
attracted more than 100,000 people making it the biggest crowd outside Dublin. Skyfest in Limerick City attraced around 50,000 people.
In 2011 it was held in Wexford
.
based firm Pains Fireworks placed 2.69 tonne
s of fireworks alongside the city centre quays of Waterford. 130 volunteers also assisted with the work. The display involved the setting off of approximately 4,000 multi-coloured "shots" over the area, taking in Rice Bridge, the Odlum silos, the spire of the Sacred Heart Church and the tower of Saint Mary's Abbey. Mark McCabe, an employee of Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) who televise the event live, has compiled the background music for Skyfest since 2005, although he only witnessed the event live for the first time alongside his fiancée, Joanna Hammond, in 2009.
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, accompanied by background music compiled by Mark McCabe
Mark McCabe
Mark McCabe is a station manager, music producer and a radio DJ from Ireland. Mark has mixed the opening sequence for events such as the Special Olympics in 2003, the 2005 and 2007 Saint Patrick's Festivals Skyfest and released the second biggest-selling record in Ireland .During the 1990s, McCabe...
, which takes place in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It forms the centrepiece of the annual St. Patrick's Festival
St. Patrick's Festival
St. Patrick's Festival, Ireland, was established by the Government of Ireland in November 1995 and has since developed into a multi day celebration which takes place annually on and around March 17, St. Patrick's Day - the national holiday of Ireland....
in the country and is usually held on the Saturday before or after Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
, a national holiday in the country. The fireworks display took place for a number of years in the country's capital, Dublin; however in 2008 it relocated to the Rock of Cashel
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel , also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is a historic site in Ireland's province of Munster, located at Cashel, South Tipperary.-History:...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. In 2009 it was held in Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
, and in 2010 it was held in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
. It is to be held on March 19th in Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
in 2011. The display is televised live on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
and is currently sponsored by the National Lottery
National Lottery (Ireland)
The National Lottery is the state lottery of Ireland. It was founded when the Oireachtas passed the to support initiatives in the areas of sport and recreation, health and welfare, national heritage and the arts, and the Irish language. Since gaming operations began on 23 March 1987, over €3.6...
.
History
In 2009, the event took place in Waterford for the first time. It commenced at 18:30 on 14 March. The display occurred on the city's quays along the River Suir
River Suir
The River Suir is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Waterford after a distance of .Popular with anglers, it holds plentiful reserves of brown trout...
. The event was expected to attract 50,000 people but, due to the unanticipated arrival of crowds of people on the day of the event, the actual figure was closer to 100,000. Live music was also provided by the Irish folk music/world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
band Kíla
Kíla
Kíla are an Irish folk music/World music group, originally formed in 1987 in the Irish Language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin in Co. Dublin. Kila's blend of Irish traditional music and World Music with a modern rock sensibility is generally credited with breathing new life into contemporary Irish...
and local percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
group Torann, alongside that of the DJ Mark McCabe who compiled a set which featured music from U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
and Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
. The event received its usual televisation on RTÉ One, presented by Derek Mooney
Derek Mooney
Derek James Mooney is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. He currently presents a weekday afternoon programme called Mooney on RTÉ Radio 1....
and Laura Woods
Laura Woods
Laura Woods is an Irish television presenter and former radio continuity announcer. She began her television career by presenting iD , co-presenting The Cafe with Aidan Power and later presenting SMS. She then presented numerous game shows, including Winning Streak, Fame and Fortune, The Trump Card...
, the latter of whom also presented a special televised national lottery draw from the region.
Skyfest in Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
attracted more than 100,000 people making it the biggest crowd outside Dublin. Skyfest in Limerick City attraced around 50,000 people.
In 2011 it was held in Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
.
Organisation
Planning for the event tends to take almost one year. For the 2009 fireworks display, a crew of twenty-six people from the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based firm Pains Fireworks placed 2.69 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s of fireworks alongside the city centre quays of Waterford. 130 volunteers also assisted with the work. The display involved the setting off of approximately 4,000 multi-coloured "shots" over the area, taking in Rice Bridge, the Odlum silos, the spire of the Sacred Heart Church and the tower of Saint Mary's Abbey. Mark McCabe, an employee of Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) who televise the event live, has compiled the background music for Skyfest since 2005, although he only witnessed the event live for the first time alongside his fiancée, Joanna Hammond, in 2009.