A booking fee of £1.50 applies to Sounds from The Cities of the Edge at Ebrington Square. Tickets can be purchased from the Culture Company box office at the Millennium Forum. Tickets for Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club at The Venue 2013 costing £15 can also be purchased via the Millennium Forum. The wearing of football tops is banned from all ticketed events.

The Peace Bridge will remain open to the public throughout Music City! Day, although there will be some restrictions to access to the City Walls throughout the day.

Parking restrictions will apply on St Columb’s Road and there will be stewarding on the Limavady Road throughout the day. There will be no other road closures.

A Park and Stride facility will be available at the new Foyle College site on the Limavady Road from midday until 1am. A free shuttle bus will also be available:

From car park to The Venue 2013 – 19.30 – 21.30

From The Venue 2013 to car park – 22.45 – 23.45 (last run)

The official launch party will continue on Friday, June 21 with a full day of music, song and dance in association with Music City, all promising enough energy to shake the City’s famous walls to their foundations.

To celebrate the official launch, the Fleadh team have also revealed an exciting new addition to the already stellar line-up, the Transatlantic Fleadh in association with Celtic Connections, which will be held in The Venue 2013 on Saturday, August 17.

Fleadh and Comhaltas Dhoire Chairperson, Eibhlín Ní Dhochartaigh said she is looking forward to revealing the full programme: ‘Once again the eyes of the world are on Derry for all the right reasons. Our events team have pulled out the stops to secure the very best musicians in the world for this historic Fleadh and we can’t wait to show people the full programme. We are particularly delighted to be able to share the news that the Transatlantic Fleadh in association with Celtic Connections will join the wonderful artists we already have. Our launch weekend will give people a small taste of the great music, song and dance that’s coming our way this August. We would like to invite the people of the city to join in the party and in making our visitors from all over the world feel welcome.’

The Fleadh Launch party on Music City Day (Friday, June 21) will give visitors the chance to join in the Big Céilí in the Guildhall at 1.30pm. From 2.30pm – 3.30pm, Comhaltas groups from the Four Corners of Ireland will take to the stage in Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin giving a taster of the talent that will fill every corner of the city this August. From 6pm, the brightest stars of traditional music will perform on a specially constructed Fleadh stage in Guildhall Square. Artists joining in the celebrations include Dónal Lunny, Pádraig Rynne, Sylvain Barou, Dave Munnelly, Mick Conneely, Ryan Molloy and the Rua McMillan Big Band. BBC Radio Ulster’s Blas will broadcast live from the Fleadh stage from 7pm-9pm.

Fleadh 2013 takes place from August 11 – 18 and over the course of a week 300,000 people and 20,000 musicians will descend on the City to compete in the Olympics of traditional music, bringing an economic boost of €38million to the local economy. The Fleadh will feature exclusive world class collaborations and a dream team of performers including The Poet and the Piper (Seamus Heaney and Liam O’Flynn), Cara Dillon and the Orchestra of Ireland, Dervish, Flook, Lorcán Mac Mathuna and dance spectacular Take the Floor featuring Beoga. Some of the richest traditional musical regions in the world will be celebrated with a series of concert events that will attract a who’s who of the traditional world.

The Transatlantic Fleadh is a spectacular one-off event and a spin-off of the internationally renowned Transatlantic Sessions staged annually as part of Celtic Connections and will be a celebration of the strong traditional musical connections between Ireland, Scotland and North America. Artists performing as part of the Transatlantic Fleadh include Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski (O Brother Where Art Thou), Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien, Arty McGlynn, Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson, Declan O’Rourke, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, Jarlath Henderson, Donald Shaw (Capercaillie), John Doyle (Solas), Danny Thompson and James Mackintosh.

Fleadh Cheoil 2013 will also be the first completely digital Fleadh with a powerful new website streaming Fleadh Live, an online music show that will feature intimate performances from a selection of artists appearing in Derry. This will be broadcast in Ireland by TG4 and in the US by the MHZ network. It will also be streamed live across the world from Thursday 15– Sunday 18 August 2013, allowing audiences to experience a taste of the Fleadh wherever they are.

Fleadh Cheoil 2013 is funded by the Culture Company, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Department of Social Development, Department of Foreign Affairs, Arts Council NI, Arts Council of Ireland, Culture Ireland and Foras Gaeilge. The principle sponsors for Fleadh Cheoil 2013 are the Garvan O’Doherty Group and Diageo Ireland.

For more information email info@fleadhcheoil.ie, visit www.fleadhcheoil.ie or call the Fleadh Office on +4428 71373 573.

MusicCity! will see thousands of musicians from all genres, amateur and professional, take part in free musical performances in squares, neighbourhoods, venues, churches, offices and workplaces on the longest day of the year. The Buena Vista Social Club will be headlining the event, while the Sky Orchestra will also be a key attraction with hot air balloons playing music through the sky.

The winning group was chosen by Neil Cowley, PRS musican in residence for UK City of Culture and Mairead Carlin, a local singer/songwriter.

The duo originally met at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.  They write their own songs and play a variety of instruments including the guitar, banjo, ukulele and mandolin. They will be playing at Glastonbury this year, having just released their first EP and have featured favourably on BBC Radio 6.

Rosie Jones said:’We were both studying in Liverpool during 2008 which is when they were European Capital of Culture. There was such a big buzz around the city so it’s just brilliant that we get to relive it all over again. I’ve never been to Northern Ireland so it’s incredibly exciting.’

Zoe Nicol said: ‘The last time I went to Ireland was when my mum was pregnant with me and we’d actually been planning to go back this year! So I might have to invite her along. We couldn’t believe it when we got the call that we had won the LegenDerry competition. I’ve had a look at the MusicCity! line up and we can’t wait to be part of it.’

Neil Cowley PRS Music in Residence for City of Culture and judge of the competition, said: ‘The calibre of entrants was fantastic but I’m glad we chose Rosie and Zoe because they really stood out for me. Their humorous and charming folk-songwriting combined with sublime harmonies had me hooked, not to mention their rather inspired video. The Music City! programme is jam-packed full of acts I can’t wait to see. Worry Dolls are absolutely now on that list.’

Guildhall Square will be the place to be next Friday to get a flavour of what to expect when one of the biggest parties of the year hits town from August 11 to 18, the first time the Fleadh has been held north of the border. From 1pm to 11pm there will be performances from some of the top musicians in the country, including Donal Lunny, Padraig Ryne, Sylvian Barou, Dave Munnelly, Mick Coneely, Ryan Molloy and the Rua McMillan Big Band.

The performances will include at 1.30pm The Big Ceili @ The Guildhall; Music from the Four Corners at An Culturlann featuring performances from Comhaltas Groups from the four provinces of Ireland from 2.30 to 5.30pm; Guildhall Square performances between 6 and 11pm.

BBC Blas Ceoil will be broadcasting live from the event between 7 and 9pm.

Additional Information: 

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has been running for over 60 years across Ireland but crosses the border for the first time in 2013. Over the course of eight days the city will play host to thousands of musicians and 300,000 visitors as traditional music takes over the city with street sessions, fun-days, pageants, marching bands, competitions, céilí bands, concerts and singing. As a key element of The Gathering, Fleadh 2013 will have a particular focus on bringing together the wider Celtic family and on the promotion of the Irish language. Seachtain na Gaeilge will feature the biggest collection of Irish language concerts and events ever hosted during Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. The Fleadh has been described as the ‘Olympics of traditional music’ with competitors travelling from across the world to compete in various categories with the hope of achieving a coveted All Ireland medal.

The brainchild of American slide guitarist Ry Cooder, the Buena Vista Social Club took the world by storm when they came together in Cuba in 1996. Since then they have taken their unique blend of Cuban jazz, Afro Cuban rhythms, soaring vocal melodies and brash big bad sounds around the world.

Eliades Ochoa from the original Buena Vista line-up and the first lady of Cuban music Omara Portuondo help make up the 14-piece Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club which has been enthralling audience across Europe since going on tour last year. They have played sell-outs in the Royal Albert Hall, Barcelona’s Liceu and the Konzerthaus in Vienna.

Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® Feat Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa from Montuno Producciones, S.L. on Vimeo.

Each of the musicians has their own take on a wide range of Cuban music styles and has put an individual stamp on the music. Their passion for the music remains undimmed and they perform with an exuberance which keeps their music as fresh as ever.

The Buena Vista Social Club album has sold more than eight million around the globe, the best-selling album in Cuban history. One critic describes it as: “World music’s equivalent of Dark Side of the Moon”.

Tickets for Buena Vista Social Club at The Venue 2013 on Friday June 21 are on sale priced £15 including booking fee, at the City of Culture Box Office at the Millennium Forum.

Additional Information:

Buena Vista Social Club released their only studio album in 1997, produced by Ry Cooder, which propelled them to success and acclaim around the world. Their fame spread further with the release of the award-winning film Buena Vista Social Club directed by Wim Wenders.

Vocalist Omara Portuondo is a member of the original Buena Vista Social Club line-up. Her 2008 recording Gracias (World Village/Montuno) won a Latin Grammy. Portuondo has been singing and performing since she was a teenager in in Cuba in the 1940s.

Eliades Ochoa, known as the man with the cowboy hat from Santiago province, is renowned as a guitar player and is singer of some of the group’s most iconic songs.

The Buena Vista Social Club returned to the USA for a series of concerts after the Cuban blockade was lifted by President Barack Obama.

The original Buena Vista Social Club was a private club and dance venue in Havana in pre-revolutionary times, a hang-out for the rich were the Cuban big bands of the 40s and 50s would play.

Since last November composers Brian Irvine and Sid Peacock have been working with Burntollett Sons of Ulster Flute Band, Caw Flute Band, East Bank Protestant Boys Flute Band, and Pride of Orange Flute Band. In a series of workshops they have explored their music making and created this new work for the UK City of Culture at the Playhouse Theatre on Music City! Day on Friday 21 June.

Three of the bands, Burntollett Sons of Ulster Flute Band, Caw Flute Band and East Bank Protestant Flute Band will perform Beyond the March with Brian Irvine, Sid Peacock and guest musicians.

There will be two performances on Friday from 7.45 to 8.30pm and from 8.45 to 9.30pm. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance through the Playhouse box office.

Beyond the March is presented by Moving on Music with the support of Arts Council NI and Lloyds TSB Foundation Northern Ireland.

As part of the Shirt Factory Exhibition, for one day only on Music City! Day on Friday, June 21, the Sewing Machine Orchestra will be making its world debut.

The brainchild of Quebec composer Martin Messier, the Sewing Machine Orchestra is one of the most innovative and imaginative celebrations on a day of wall to wall music during the UK City of Culture celebrations.

Messier has long been a fan of old sewing machines – but in the sound, rather than the garments, that they produce. He has made it his mission to resuscitate old Singers long since abandoned by their owners and bring them back to life in a magical way.

The result is a complex and leftfield arrangement as the old machines purr back into action to create a sound like no other.

This will be the first presentation of the Sewing Machine Orchestra anywhere in Ireland. It has featured at international festivals including Mutek and Festival TransAmeriques in Canada, Bang on a Can in New York, Transmediale in Berlin and Sonar in Barcelona and Chicago.

The Sewing Machine Orchestra will be performing at the Shirt Factory in Patrick Street at 1pm and 7pm on Music City! day, Friday, June 21. Admission is free.

There may be limited parking on the St Columbs Park Road but restrictions apply.  Stewarts will be on hand to direct traffic.

Parking is not available at St Columbs Park and the Limavady Road gates will be closed from 9pm.

A limited number of disabled spaces are available at The Venue 2013 car park. These spaces have to be pre-booked via our box office on 02871 264455. All patrons must be registered blue badge holders.

Conceived and delivered by the Walled City Partnership the scheme is part of the City of Culture 2013 programme. The content has now been developed to create a fascinating, innovative heritage based web resource and archive gallery for use in schools and learning groups throughout the world.

Mary Kerrigan, Education Officer with the Walled City Partnership, explained: ‘The idea is to open the eyes of young children to the beauty of their built heritage. Lots of us, young and old walk around without fully seeing our surroundings, so we wanted young children to develop the skills and the vocabulary to truly see and explore the world around them in a new way.

‘We want to help them develop a sense of what’s unique about their city, but also understand how much its historic architecture has in common with other towns and cities across the western world.

‘Actively engaging children can be challenging.  The ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ method is a fantastic, simple way of encouraging people of all ages into a conversation that draws out the positive in themselves and their world.

‘Through the autumn term the children took part in a series of five workshops together, focusing on really seeing the windows in some of the city’s most distinctive buildings, including St Augustine’s Church, Long Tower Church and The Playhouse,’

‘The results have been amazing.  John McDaid photographed and filmed the children throughout and created six explanatory video clips and an online learning resource and archive gallery.  This means other groups and schools have all the materials needed to deliver the project anywhere in the world.

‘During the workshops, the children progressed from describing their favourite window – something anyone could easily identify  – to being able to recognise gothic or classical window shapes, and as many as six different types of old windows.  They also noticed other distinctive architectural features in the buildings around them.’

The scheme is about more than just seeing old buildings as Mary revealed. “The culture of the people of a place is reflected in its built and natural environment.  That’s why every place is different.  When we start to see and understand why our old buildings and spaces look the way they do, we can explain the cultural story behind them.  The world around us tells our children and grandchildren about us and our ancestors.  After we are long gone that cultural story resonates into the future in the buildings and spaces still standing.

‘Our use of the Appreciative Inquiry method of communication and the range of cross curricular, interactive, activities makes this unique project accessible for children of all abilities. The new online learning resource, made possible by partner funding Walled City Partnership received from the Culture Company, has created a real lasting legacy of UK City of Culture 2013.  It’s suitable for use by parents, teachers and learning group leaders anywhere in the world.’

Walled City Partnership Chair, Mary McLaughlin said it was a wonderful way for children to explore the heart of our historic city.  ’The children shared many fun filled exercises. ‘Seeing Townscape Heritage’ is the lynchpin of the Heritage Lottery’s Townscape Heritage Initiative scheme which is managed & promoted by the Walled City Partnership. We are delighted to present ‘The Seeing Project’ for the UK City of Culture 2013 programme and thank the all the teachers, sponsors & especially the children for their enthusiastic participation.’

Culture Company Chief Executive Shona McCarthy said: ‘The Seeing Project is just one example of the many innovative projects that are ongoing in schools and community organisations throughout the city as part of the 2013 cultural programme. We are delighted to be able to support the ground breaking work led by the Walled City Partnership which will not only influence educational practices, but also promote cross community engagement between local schools. This initiative will undoubtedly leave a lasting legacy for children well beyond 2013.’

Head of Culture Company Shona McCarthy, said: The Seeing Project is an example of the many innovative projects which are ongoing in schools and community groups across the city throughout the year. We are delighted to be able to support such ground breaking new initiatives, influencing educational practices and promoting cross-community partnerships between schools

The Seeing Project website will be launched officially on Tuesday June 18 from 12.45-2.45pm in the Playhouse Dance Theatre.  There will be an opportunity to see Appreciative Inquiry in action through an interactive closing address by Cliodhna Mulhern, a leading independent facilitator, dialogue coach, and trainer.

For more information about the project and how you can access the learning resource on-line go to www.seeingproject.co.uk.  This will be live from 18^th June 2013.

Danny Boy is one of the world’s most loved songs with hundreds of recorded versions by acts as diverse as Elvis Presley, The Pogues, and The Muppets, to name but a tiny few.

All citizens of the city, including children, adults and the choirs of Derry~Londonderry, are encouraged to get out and take part in a massive outdoor performance of the song in Guildhall Square from midday to toast its 100^th anniversary during the UK City of Culture celebrations.

The mass performance will be led by Donal Doherty and his internationally acclaimed Codetta Choir who will be joined by the award-winning St Patricks Pennyburn Primary School choir, the Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year.

‘We aim to absolutely pack Guildhall Square and join together in a huge performance of Danny Boy,’ said Donal Doherty . “We are delighted to have St Patrick’s Pennyburn choir joining us and they will entertain the people as they arrive before we get ready for the big rendition of the song itself.

‘There is no doubt that collective singing is a really spiritual experience and from that point of view a tune that has such strong associations with the city on this Music City! Day in this year of culture, there can be nothing more appropriate than that.’

Groups or individuals wishing to take part are encouraged to register their interest with Deirdre Donnelly by email: deirdre.donnelly@cityofculture2013.com.