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Gerry seeks Shelter from the Storm
15.03.10
THE organiser of the
country’s only Bob Dylan festival is seeking shelter
from the storm that hit with news the legendary
singer will upstage the fledgling event when he
returns to Ireland this summer.
DylanFest has been held in the seaside town of
Moville in July for the past two years.
But organiser Gerry McLaughlin was left stunned when
Aiken Promotions revealed last week the American
singer/songwriter would play Thomond Stadium,
Limerick, on Sunday, July 4.
Gerry admits he initially felt his third annual
festival, from July 1 - July 4, 2010, was doomed.
"I don't suppose a whole lot of Dylan fans down the
country are going to trek all the way up to Moville
for the Friday and Saturday and then make the long
trek to Limerick on the Sunday," he said. |
"It would be very
difficult for me to change the weekend now. I've had
10,000 flyers printed about it. They would be
redundant. I can't believe it. It's very bad luck."
But he has since had a change of heart and hopes his
Donegal DylanFest will be able to piggyback on the
publicity surrounding Bob Dylan's upcoming Limerick
gig and the unfortunate clash with his own.
He also hopes to organise a bus from Moville to
Limerick on Sunday for DylanFest revellers who want
to see the real thing after the four-day tribute to
the folk singer on the shores of Lough Foyle.
"Organising the DylanFest in Moville is a labour of
love. Dylan is hugely popular in Ireland so it’s
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have a whole extended
weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, dedicated to his
music, finished off by the man himself in Limerick
on the Sunday," added Gerry.
The eternal optimist, he is also hoping his
ill-fated festival might reach the radar of the
legendary singer himself.
"There's always the outside chance that it wasn't a
coincidence and that (Dylan) has planned to be in
Ireland on the same weekend as our DylanFest!" he
quipped. |
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