The Percy French Festival – The French Connection - in association with Roscommon County Council and to coincide with The Gathering Ireland takes place from the 10th – 12th July 2013.
 
Set in the wonderful historic Georgian building of Castlecoote house in French’s native town the annual festival plays host to an exciting and diverse programme of lectures, recitals, poems, monologues, music, and paintings celebrating the life and times of the multi-talented William Percy French.
 
The Festival features prominent speakers covering the historical and sociological context of his life and work.
 
Percy French’s multifaceted role in the Anglo-Irish cultural heritage can be shown to be both important and fascinating yet until now it has been somewhat neglected.
 
The Festival seeks to illuminate the considerable social significance of French’s song writing, poetry, and paintings and their relevance to Ireland’s various ways of life today.  The Festival has succeeded in attracting a wide range of significant authors, academics, politicians, and artists to lecture and perform.
 
The range of lectures and events in the programmes to date reflect the broad spectrum of interests of its directors.  The Festival’s Honorary President is, President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins.
 
The festival takes place at Castlecooote House,  Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon from 10th to 12th July. For more information visit www.percyfrench.ie or the festival’s Facebook page.
 
This event is being run as part of the Tourism Ireland year-long tourism initiative The Gathering.
 
Here’s the audio for Percy French’s most famous song “Are ye right there Michael are ye right?”:
 

County Leitrim is welcoming those intending to take part in The Gathering Ireland 2013 to attend “Percy’s Party”, a celebration of the Irish compose Percy French.