Seán Paul O'Hare, Director of Féile an Phobail
In 1988, the year of the inaugural Féile an Phobail, there were many cynics who doubted the annual commemorations of internment could move away from traditional bonfires and riots. "Now it's 10 days of partying, play-acting and discussion," says festival director Seán Paul O'Hare, who has a background in cross-community work. You'll still find the likes of the Bobby Sands Memorial Cup on this very green programme - Gerry Adams is on the management committee - but other events are more surprising. The planned cultural evening for ex-republican and loyalist prisoners, featuring Ulster Scots, traditional Irish music and a minister from the Shankill Road, is a festival first. "We have evolved as a community," O'Hare says. Bell X1, Damien Dempsey, Jerry Fish, the Hothouse Flowers and Mundy all feature on the festival programme. "West Belfast has a very young population, and radio stations up here don't often reflect what's going on in the South," he adds. "We wanted to turn this around." Féile an Phobail runs from July 29th to August 7th. See www.feilebelfast.com.
