Award-winning author Annie Proulx has given her backing to a groundbreaking Irish festival celebrating creativity in older age, it was revealed today.
The American writer of The Shipping Newsand Brokeback Mountainwill travel to Dublin to talk at the Abbey Theatre as part of the Bealtaine Festival.
The agenda-setting event - now in its 12th year - is unique to Ireland and has inspired other countries worldwide to start up similar celebrations.
The festival encourages greater participation in the arts by older people as artists and performers from national to grass roots level.
"The ethos is one of fun and empowerment," one organiser said. "It has been proven that participation in the arts is good for us — studies show enhanced morale and better health for older people involved in ongoing arts programmes with professional artists."
This year's highlights include theatre, literature, dance, film, storytelling, music, painting, sculpture and photography events across the country from May 1 to 31st.
Last year there were 1000 events countrywide attracting an audience of 40,000 people, making it one of Ireland's biggest arts festivals, say organisers. Street theatre specialists Bui Bolg will officially open Bealtaine 2007 with a ceremony of fire and light by the sea in Co Wexford.
Once the sun has set 'fire sculptures' designed and created by older people will be floated over the waters edge at Duncannon beach on May 5th.
This year's Bealtaine Film Season at the Irish Film Institute (IFI), Dublin will be themed 'A Punnet of Wild Strawberries'.
The month-long season featuring films celebrating older people includes a nationwide tour of the Judie Dench movie Ladies in Lavender. A special collection of archive shorts about growing up in Ireland in the 1950's will also air at the IFI.
The theme of this year's festival - Forever Begin- is taken from the closing lines of Brendan Kennelly's poem Begin.