Showcasing a great variety of arts performances and events, the first ever Derrylin Festival proved a great success, with organisers already looking to next year’s event.

Running from Friday, August 20 to Sunday, August 22, the festival was organised by Derrylin Ama-teur Dramatic Society and featured performances from many talented locals.

Talking about the highlights of the festival weekend, Festival Director Debbie Murphy said: “Our two events – the Candlelight Cabaret, and our Festival Picnic – they were definitely the highlights.

“They were both different and pitched at different audiences,” she noted.

The Candlelight Cabaret provided a night of drama, music and poetry hosted in the grounds of Aughakillymaude Hall.

“We had great variety. We had Pat McManus at the end with Gabriel McArdle; they played us out.

“We had Aoife Cathcart, who just has the voice of an angel. She brought a sense of calmness to the whole of Aughakillymaude – you could hear a pin drop,” said Debbie.

There were plenty of other noteworthy performances on the night with singing by Katie Chapman from the Fermanagh School of Music and Performing Arts, poetry from Gerry Duggan and repre-sentatives of the local Comhaltas provided Traditional music and song.

“Councillor Chris McCaffrey performed poetry in Irish. That was a lovely set, and then we had our showstopper drama, ‘Death of Drama’, which was performed by Ciara Fitzpatrick and Claire Gilhea-ney. They just brought the house down,” said Debbie, of the hilarious production.

On Sunday, there was the festival Family Picnic and Craft market, which was hosted at St. Aidan’s High School.

“We had the Fermanagh School of Music and Performing Arts run by Ciara O’Flanagan; she had a couple of her girls perform sketches.

“We had Jason from Urban Motion, who leads dance classes in Derrylin; he did breakdancing.

“He showed the children how to do robot actions; it was brilliant,” said Debbie.

There was further Traditional Irish music, drama, poetry and singing on the day, along with a great selection of craft stalls and a wellness tent. Derrylin musician Cian Maguire also performed.

Families were able to enjoy their picnics while availing of the entertainment and activities provided.

Calling this year the “maiden voyage” of Derrylin Festival, Debbie explained that organisers plan to build on what they achieved this year for next year’s festival.

“The stage has been set here in Derrylin, and we could make it a very successful annual event,” Debbie told this newspaper.