Europe’s only annual festival of nomadic cultures, Misleór, launches their 2024 programme in Galway this week.
The programme features a vibrant mix of music, film, talks, poetry, storytelling, workshops and art exhibitions.
The Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures will connect nomadic peoples from around the world and showcase their artistry at over 25 events over four days.
The festival takes place from September 26th to 29th. The theme this year is: Custodians: Keepers of Culture, and it recognises and celebrates nomadic peoples as guardians of music, song, dance, stories, skills and knowledge.
Misleór, which means ‘wanderer’ in the Irish Traveller language Cant, was established in 2019 by the Galway Traveller Movement.
In 2024, the festival features contributions from the Traveller, Roma, Sámi, Mongolian, Inuit, and Romany Gypsy communities.
“There are common threads that connect nomadic peoples, be that life on the road or enduring systematic racism,” says artistic and cultural director, Nora Corcoran.
“Through the lens of creativity and cultural action for change, Misleór sparks important dialogue about cultural rights and challenging prejudice.
“Our theme, Custodians: Keepers of Culture, reflects that we, as nomadic people, are carriers and protectors of ancient traditions passed down through generations.”
“ Misleór showcases nomadic artists and activists who are claiming and creating spaces for their culture in today’s society.”
On Thursday 26th, the festival opens at The Mick Lally Theatre with a launch event followed by an immersive audio experience and discussion.
Presented in partnership with the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA), Stories and Songs of the Road centres around a collection of vibrant insights and performances by members of the local Traveller community in Galway, captured in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
On Friday 27th, Custodianship of our Stories on Screen presents keynote speaker Liisa Holmberg, who will share the work of the International Sámi Film Institute and the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund, and how these initiatives have supported a new generation of successful Sámi filmmakers.
“We want to learn how to build a creative community that supports nomadic peoples to both ‘tell and own’ their own stories,” says Nora. “In this year’s Misleór, we also delve deep into the question of reclaiming narratives and the repatriation of cultural materials.”
Feature documentary Máhccan – Homecoming will be screened in An Taibhdhearc on Friday afternoon. Set in the changing world of museums, the film deals with the repatriation of cultural heritage objects to formerly colonised and oppressed nations.
It will be followed by a Q & A with Sámi filmmaker Suvi West, hosted by Oein DeBhairduin – Inclusive Histories Curator of Traveller Culture at the National Museum of Ireland.
Misleór Creative Director Alice McDowell is particularly proud of Nomadic Shorts, taking place on Friday evening in An Taibhdhearc.
“This year, the filmmakers showcased in our short film programme all have nomadic cultural backgrounds, which represents real progress and shows a shift towards true ownership and custodianship of storytelling within these communities.”
Among these nine shorts is Being Put Back Together by David McDonagh, which won Best Short Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh 2023 and was longlisted for an Academy Award. McDonagh was the recipient of Misleór’s first short documentary grant in 2021.
This year’s winner, 20-year-old Ella Louise Ward, presents her short My Kind of People, which explores the role of friendship within the Traveller community.
The programme also features Laissa Malih – the first female Maasai filmmaker – who returns to look at how the lands of her forefathers are being reshaped by climate change in her film Enchukunoto.
The world premiere of Knuck & Knuckle will take place in An Taibhdhearc on Saturday afternoon. This short documentary tells the gripping tale of how a young Limerick man uses his love of boxing to overcome the pain of his mother’s suicide.
The screening is followed by a Q+A with its subject, Lee Reeves, known as ‘El Champo’ who is the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) light welterweight champion.
A live demonstration of Paint Punch by members of the Galway Boxing Club will also take place. This new approach to painting and creativity through boxing was developed by artist Frank McCarthy, the film’s producer.
On the night of Saturday 28th at An Taibhdhearc, Misleór in Song presents musical custodians, carrying the songs and sounds from their nomadic roots. Performances include Paddy Keenan, formerly of The Bothy Band – a renowned custodian of the Traveller piping tradition.
The event will also showcase young Traveller talent: West Cork singer Rosie McCarthy and local singer/musician Francis Ward. Fiddle players Janos Lang and Marius Otves will take the audience on a journey into the heart of Roma culture, performing the rich fiddle styles of Hungary, Romania, and Transylvania.
These two music masters will also host a Roma Fiddle Workshop earlier that day at the O’Donoghue Theatre in the University of Galway.
Other Saturday workshops at the university include Mongolian Dance presented by the Khuur Mongolian Ethnic Band. Meanwhile, a Traveller Herbalism and Healing Workshop explores foraging and natural dyes.
A daytime family programme at University of Galway on Saturday sees Music Generation Galway City present a youth open mic session. Afterwards, acclaimed Galway artists ATMOS Collective will host a beats and freestyle jam for young people.
On Sunday 29th, Misleór moves to Ballinasloe Fair, Europe’s oldest and biggest horse fair. The Misleór Stage hosts a lineup of acclaimed Traveller and Roma musicians. An outdoor cinema screens Traveller Shorts while traditional tinsmith Tom McDonnell offers live demonstrations.
Outdoor and indoor exhibitions run throughout the festival at Galway City Museum and Nuns Island Theatre.
See the full programme of events at misleor.ie . While most events are free, online booking is encouraged.
