Beatles fans ‘Come Together’ in Moville

The subtitle this year for the festival will be “Why Don’t We Do It in The Road” as, for the first time, the BeatlesFest will take place in the street as well as in the pubs, for which late festival licences have been applied.

Organiser Gerry McLaughlin said: “There is a mouth-watering list of acts this year including The Cavernites from Liverpool who played the world famous Cavern (where the Beatles established themselves) 10 nights in a row during Liverpool’s annual Beatles Week and who are playing the world’s biggest Beatles festival, Abbey Road on the River in Washington DC and Loiusville, Kentucky, just before they arrive for Moville’s BeatlesFest.

“There’s also Candlestick Park from Glasgow who have played Liverpool’s Beatles Week several times, playing to a crowd of 30,000 people and who played Abbey Road on the River in 2009.”

According to band member Kevin O’Kane: “It was great playing those massive Beatles festivals. Normally we play to audiences some of whom are Beatles fans but to play to a purely Beatles audience was amazing. You could feel the love coming back at you. It can’t be described. We’re really looking forward to Moville.”

Appearing also is Paul McCartney lookalike and soundalike Neil Tudor who is official endorsed by him and who was his double in the video of Dance Tonight. Also being performed is a short play Lennon v McCartney by Nighthawksindublin.

The star of the event, though, is Tony Bramwell who was not only the Beatles Road manager but their PR guy and talent scout for their manager Brian Epstein, discovering James Taylor and later on, Eva Cassidy.

Tony was best friends with George Harrison and Paul McCartney as a youngster and was with them all the way as their road manager.

He knew all the Sixties stars like Dylan, Jagger, Richards, Hendrix, Clapton etc. as friends and numbers Bruce Springsteen amongst his current friends.

Tony will give a series of talks during the festival and will be signing copies of his book Magical Mystery Tours: My Life With The Beatles. Paul McCartney, with whom Tony is still in regular touch, once said: “If you want to know about The Beatles ask Tony Bramwell. He remembers it better than I do.”

For more info and accommodation see www.CraicOn.com/moville