Johnston Folk Music Festival this weekend

Large crowds are expected in Slane village over the coming weekend for the first annual Johnston's Folk Music Festival. The festival, which is being organised by the former members of the 1964 Slane youth club, will celebrate the music of the famous folk group of which the three founding members Adrienne, Lucy and Michael Johnston grew up in the village. The highlight of the festival weekend events will be the Johnston's reunion concert at the TLT Concert theatre in Drogheda on Saturday 25th June when for the first time in 40 years, Paul Brady, Mick Moloney, Lucy Johnston and Michael Johnston will perform together on stage. They will be joined by special guest artist Niamh Parsons for the show which will start at 8pm with the supporting acts all from Slane including Coscan, The Wednesday Gang, John and Neil Carolan and Elizabeth, Rebecca and Sarah Jane Johnston. Sean Corcoran will be compère on the night. In conjunction with the festival there will be the launch of the Irish foundation of the Mercy Centre Charity, which is a charity doing work for under privileged and orphaned children in Bangkok under the guidance of Fr Joe Maier who is travelling from Bangkok for the concert to launch the charity in Ireland. Tickets for the concert can be purchased from the TLT box office, phone (041) 987 8560. The festival will start off on Friday June 24th at 5pm in Slane village at the former home of the Johnston family which is now know as the Boyne Valley Inn and will continue throughout the weekend up to the closing festival concert on the Sunday night in Saint Patrick's Church Slane at 7.30pm when Coscan will headline the concert. For the full list of weekend events see the advertisement in this newspaper or visit the festival website www.thejohnstonmusicfestival.com