Surf's up
The Bundoran Ocean Fest in Donegal is not just one of the country’s leading surfing events; it’s rapidly becoming a major musical fixture too.
Kilian Murphy, 19 Oct 2006
Bundoran’s Ocean Fest is aiming to put the Donegal town on Ireland’s musical map, though there is a lot more to the event than just rocking out.
Surfing is, naturally, the other main attraction, with free surf lessons for beginners at the Donegal Adventure Centre and the Bundoran Surf Co. Indeed, on the Surf Coach which brought me to the town, many seemed to be more interested in catching the perfect wave than catching some hot live bands (also on offer: skating, climbing, exhibitions of art and photography, among other activities).
Of course, for the rabid Irish pop fan, there were a number of worthwhile, non-surf, reasons to make the trip (principally, sets from Delorentos and The Immediate). Niamh Hamill and her brother Collie MacPhaidin are immersed in both sides of the event – she is a chief organiser of the musical happenings for the weekend and manager of the Donegal Adventure Centre. Collie also works in the Adventure Centre, and is a keen local music enthusiast.
Upon my arrival on Friday night, he talked engagingly about the town’s music scene, although he admitted there is a tendency for local bands to neglect original material, instead opting to play classic rock cover versions to please the tourists.
This festival, however, encourage local groups to become more adventurous, and make an impact in their own right.
Friday night’s main attraction was Delorentos at The Chasin’ Bull; they are a Dublin-based quartet who have been making waves on the Irish music scene, and it’s easy to see why they have sparked such enthusiasm.
Their music moves and twists fluidly, full of pleasing right angles and cute idiosyncrasies. Danceable, yet with a constant undercurrent of bleary melancholy, the group grew in confidence as the night progressed, and the audience went with them.
“We don’t want to want to be a band that plays in a comfort zone,” explains Kieran McGuinness (guitar/vocals), when asked what it’s like to play Bundoran for the first time. “There’s an Irish circuit that the bigger bands play: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway. We try to play everywhere. We all come from small towns, and no big bands ever played in those places.”
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