Date set for launch of book on Castlebar Song Contest.

It probably is not generally known that what became the 2nd richest song contest in the world started out as a once-off one night concert.

The first Castlebar Song Contest was staged in the Royal Ballroom on Monday 10th October 1966 with a total prize fund of £95. It went on to become a week-long festival during the 1st week of October each year until it finished in 1988.
It became a major international week-long festival that brought thousands of visitors to the town over its 22-year life. The finals of the contest were relayed on live television from 1970 to 1988.

And now, a comprehensive history of the contest has been compiled by Paddy McGuinness who was one of the contest's directors on a number of occasions.

The history contains all of the facts and results from all of the contests. It has reminiscences from many participants such as Gay Byrne, Terry Wogan and Mike Murphy. It features lots of photographs... many of which have not been seen before.

The book will be launched in The Linenhall, Castlebar on Thursday 30th March. A night of reminiscing and nostalgia is being planned to mark the launch of the book. Further information on the night will be announced over the coming weeks. Limited seating can be reserved by calling the Linenhall at 094 9023733.

To coincide with the night and to mark the occasion, the organisers are inviting songwriters to compose a new song and submit to them for possible inclusion on the night. Three songswriters will then be invited to perform their songs in front of the crowd at this special event.

More details to follow and terms and conditions can be got by email cisc1966@gmail.com - Facebook - Twitter