Ar Ymyl y Tir / On Land’s Edge: a new cultural festival comes to Fishguard

Next weekend sees the launch of an exciting new festival for North Pembrokeshire, celebrating its unique culture, history, landscape, and the spirit of endeavour that has forged connections to the rest of the world.

With the help of Ancient Connections this major new festival will launch on 24 September, using locations in and around Fishguard and Goodwick to make the experience atmospheric and memorable.

The three-day festival will deliver a new opportunity for all people across the communities of north Pembrokeshire to celebrate the stories embedded in their history, the landscape, and as part of their personal experience.

Professional and amateur performers in the communities will be involved, with writer and broadcaster Jon Gower and composer David Pepper providing artist direction and content.

Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard’s community theatre will ‘host’ the festival coordinating events in that will take place in a several venues including those that can offer hospitality featuring North Pembrokeshire impressive food and beverage producers.

The festival programme will showcase new original material for the spoken word, music, and film and feature guest appearances by established creative personalities who have been inspired by this unique part of West Wales.

Launching with a welcome event, on Friday 24 September, there is an opportunity to meet performers and artists involved in the weekend long project, which has been in development since April.

Premieres

Following the launch, there will be a premiere of Fingers of Land, A Fringe of Sea, written specifically for the On Land’s Edge Festival.

Local composer David Pepper teams up with writer Jon Gower and a wealth of local performing talent to explore Vikings and Moby Dick, shipwrecks and seaweed, the turn of the tide and the lay of the land.

Later, there will be a premiere music performance of Gramophony #1 by Jobina Tinnemans, performed by Aled Meredith-Barrett on tuba and Alex Morgan on trumpet.

Gramophony was an installation commissioned by the National Science and Media Museum which opened in summer 2021 and Tinnemans design utilises the acoustic qualities of gramophones, creating a wondrous piece for brass and birdlife from the Pen Caer soundscape.

Gramophony #2 will accompany an event on Saturday, when the audience will be transported to Strumble Head and hear geologist Sid Howells talk about the geology of the area.

Inspired

Back at the theatre the programme continues with water inspired music and storytelling from Deb Winter with musicians Gillian Stevens and Tom Jackson, followed by a performance from the Gwaun Piano Trio.

The evening celebrates the area’s links with Ireland, showcasing a performance of Ferrytales by Ceri Ashe and rounded off with tales of the imaginary village of Kilphouca by Irish writer Brian Manton, which were recently featured on a new audio venture on Nation Cymru.

Sunday looks to be just as packed with literature, films, and music, featuring readings from two authors, Geraint Lewis and Mike Lewis, at Peppers in Fishguard, and at the theatre there will be an afternoon screening of the tense psychological thriller, The Lighthouse.

A new film, Carreg Coast by Tim Wickenden with music by David Pepper, is an intimate portrait of the Pembrokeshire coast around Fishguard.

The festival closes with another premiere performance, this time by two composers from the facing coasts of Wales and Ireland, inspired by lights of the two lighthouses at Strumble Head and Hook Head and the coastal landscapes they illuminate.

Film exhibitions by Brynach Day and Heledd Wyn Hardy will run at Theatr Gwaun throughout the weekend, and there will be a town square performance by Goodwick Community Brass Band on Saturday morning.

Details of how to book for the variety of free and charged events are available on the website.