Banjo & Bovril Festival is set to return to Bray’s Harbour Bar for its fifth year

Seamus Fogarty, Junior Brother, Lemoncello, MuteFish, Yankari, and Markas Carcas & The Trail Gang are just a selection of the many eclectic acts set to appear at the Banjo & Bovril Trad and Folk Festival in Bray this week.

The festivities will kick off on Wednesday at The Harbour Bar, situated a stone’s throw from the water in Bray’s small swan-infested harbour.

The bizarrely-titled festival grew from an old winter tradition in the pub, in which the previous owners would host long nights of banjo music, washed down with free cups of hot Bovril. Growing steadily from these humble roots over the last five years, Mick Flannery, Ye Vagabonds, David Keenan, Mundy, and The Eskies have all made appearances at the festival in the past.

As well as folk music, the festival will feature experimental spins on traditional Irish storytelling, with spoken word performances taking place upstairs in The Loft. Stephen James Smith, Erin Fornoff, and Candlelit Tales are all scheduled to appear.

Hugely popular among locals and blow-ins alike, The Harbour Bar was crowned ‘Best Bar in the World’ by the Lonely Planet in 2010. The pet-friendly pub also plays host to an annual Toastie Festival, Roots Festival, and Gin Fest, to name a few.

The Banjo & Bovril Festival will span from Wednesday January 23 to Sunday January 27. As with all Harbour Bar gigs, admittance is free.

For the full line-up and more information visit: http://theharbourbar.ie/events/festival/banjo_bovril/

Have a listen to the Banjo & Bovril 2019 playlist below:

https://open.spotify.com/user/11131571791/playlist/5IPvqD7rZ3bg9bTwPljLbu