News Item

From Special Irish Fest Imaginary Instrument Correspondent Ronan Collins:

Sligo to host World Air Fiddle Championships

IrishCentral.com: Most of us have seen someone play a mean air guitar , but how about an air fiddle champion?

Sligo is set to host an Air Fiddle Championship as part of the Sligo Live music and arts festival, which runs from October 22-26.

Ireland’s answer to Finland’s famous Air Guitar World Championships, the Air Fiddle contest will give traditional air musicians their 15 minutes of fame, allowing them to do their best impressions of Frankie Gavin, Martin Hayes and Kevin Burke for the public in the center of Sligo town.

The air fiddlers will be judged by a clapometer.

Sligo Live’s executive producer Rory O’Connor told the Irish Independent: "Air Fiddle is one of the highlights of the festival each year. We thought it would be just a couple of chancers fooling around, but the competitors are brilliant and the standard is very high."

The reigning air fiddle champs are The Fiddle Sisters, sisters-in-law Cathy Brennan and Cathy Ann Brennan, who won the contest last year for their Charlie Chaplin, silent movie-style performance.

For more information on the World Air Fiddle Championship and Sligo Live, visit www.sligolive.ie.