THE mysterious watery underworld of the Marble Arch Caves will this summer be showcased to their best in an ambitious sound and dance installation that forms part of the third Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival.

Due to popular demand festival organisers are putting on two weekends of events in the caves, and if you haven’t had the chance to experience the drama and mystery of one of Europe’s finest show caves, then act now and enjoy a unique multi-layered sound and dance installation.

Beckett’s friend James Joyce will be celebrated through a sound installation of John Cage’s Roaratorio: An Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake – an illuminating and daring composition that brings the passages of Finnegans Wake to life mingled with the rich sounds of some of the great Irish traditional musicians of old recorded as echoes down below.

Featured musicians include singer Joe Heaney, Seamus Ennis on the Uilleann pipes, Paddy Glackin on fiddle, Matt Molloy on flute as well as Peadhar Mercier and Mel Mercier playing the Bodhran.

Seán Doran, Director of the Festival, said: “Tickets for the Roaratorio are selling fast. Last year’s Inferno in the Caves actually sold out before the festival had even opened because it is such a stunning backdrop to any performance. That’s why we are putting on two weekends of events where festival-goers will board a boat and be taken on a journey to experience the beauty of one of Ireland’s best natural wonders as well as experience the sights and sounds of Finnegans Wake.

“You will not only be guided by boat through a fascinating underworld, but also experience Joyce in a way that is considered by many to be one of the best ways to approach Finnegans Wake.

“The performance by the Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre in the second weekend will also be the first time choreography by one of the 20th century’s greatest choreographers Merce Cunningham will be presented in excerpts and of course seen and heard beneath the earth! This summer we really are pushing the boat out and with limited capacity to ensure maximum enjoyment in the caves I would urge you to book now to avoid missing out on an unforgettable experience.” The sound installation of John Cage’s Roaratorio will take place over the weekend of July 31 to August 4, while from August 7 to August 10 dancers from the Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre will perform excerpts to accompany the Roaratorio. The installation is produced in partnership with the Sound Arts Research Centre Queen’s University Belfast.

Tickets for the Festival are on sale now. For further information visit www.happy-days-enniskillen.com