Weekend Roundup: Another Love Story

Storm Betty may have hijacked a lot of weekend plans, but there was no dampening the good spirits at Killyon Manor in County Meath, and with the sun reappearing in bursts on Saturday before bathing everyone in glorious warmth on Sunday, boutique festival Another Love Story ended on an absolute high yesterday.

Around 2,000 people arrived down to the 18th century manor home and surrounding grounds, which include a magical forest dotted with small stages and tents for panels, discussions, music, massages, and holistic healings, and access to the gorgeous River Deal, where brave attendees (your Hot Press correspondent included) went for a dip to stay refreshed throughout the weekend. Ne of the emotional highlights of the weekend was to be found in the woodlands, where past some fun art installations was the ruins of an old church, which had become a shrine to the late, great Sinead O’Connor. Mandalas made of hydrangeas, pine cones and flowers created a beautiful, natural tribute to the singer, pictures of whom were lit up with candles as soft incense filled the air, allowing attendees to take a moment and reflect.

Photo by Aimee Stones

The beautiful, natural, almost meditative surroundings are highlighted and amplified by the tone of the festival, which aims for a gentle, eco-friendly atmosphere, with little corporate input or advertisement beyond some drinks tents selling craft cocktails. The organisation throughout the festival was exemplary, with plenty of spots for recycling, lots of covered seating areas which came in handy during Friday and Saturday’s showers, compostable bathrooms on sight, plenty of delicious vegan food offerings, and kid-friendly activities, making it very friendly for parents with young children who don’t want to – and shouldn’t have to – give up their dancing shoes (or wellies.) The festival is also dog friendly, and if you haven’t seen dozens of slightly hungover festival goers suddenly brighten up at the sight of a dog wearing a glitter kerchief, you haven’t seen true joy.

Photo by Emilija Jefremova

The line-up is similarly curated to keep the festival a celebration of Irish talent, and of building the energy of the festival both over the individual days and over the festival, resulting in a weekend that seemed to naturally flow from electric energy to nostalgic feel-good fun to calming chill-out vibes.

During Friday’s downpour, it was vital to keep the energy going through the rain, and who better to do that than Dublin/Berlin based electronic duo The Cope, who had everyone dancing in the mud, and Attention Bébé kept the energy going with their irrepressible brass funk. Over in the TreeHaus – the spot to be for some dance music, nostalgic pop and unapologetic cheese over the weekend – Claire Beck and Mano Le Tough were on the decks.

Photo by Celeste Burdon

After some torrential rain on Friday night, Saturday saw some sunshine breaking through, and the day kicked off with some yoga and song circles out in the Woodland Workshop, with storytelling from Seanchoiche bringing some opportunities to relax, while Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh’s gentle music lulled people from their sleepy recovery mode and gently guided them towards a day of energy and ambiance. As the evening closed in, Sorcha Richardson and Sofia Kourtesis were highlights from the Further Afield stage, as the night cleared so crowds were dancing under starlight. Squeezing into the enclosed Shift Yard, Polytunnel and kept the beats coming.

Photo by Emilija Jefremova

On Sunday, the sun was beaming down on Killyon and the energy was infectious as everyone wanted to bask in the good weather and great atmosphere. Dundalk duo Negro Impacto brought some soul to Further Afield, with the irresistible beats of ‘Carnival’ matching the chill Sunday vibes perfectly, before Lisa Hannigan took over and hypnotised everyone with a dreamy set, including a beautiful cover of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Black Boys on Mopeds.’ Over in the TreeHuas, Boogieman’s Fleetwood Mac Attack and the Sing Along Social had everyone singing and dancing along with beloved hits and some real throwbacks. Finally, Martin Hayes regaled everyone with his fiddle playing for an hour, leaving people feeling rested, relaxed and appreciative, ready to pack up their tents under a golden sunset and drive home reminiscing about the gorgeous weekend they just had – and already looking forward to returning next year, to Ireland’s most exquisitely curated boutique festival.