A week has passed since the community of Bruff, co. Limerick, came together to celebrate the birthday and life of Dolores O’Riordan, who was born and raised in the area.

Here’s our attempt at reviewing the event, as some of the CW members experienced it, starting with a video of the atmosphere in the Bruff streets, where Dolores and The Cranberries music could be heard all weekend:

DAY 1

The event was launched with an opening ceremony during which the Morning Star Park of Bruff, where Dolores and her mother Eileen answered Barry Egan’s questions in April 2014, was renamed “Dolores O’Riordan Park”. Former Irish rugby star John Hayes and his wife unveiled a plaque featuring Dolores O’Riordan’s name and Ordinary Day lyrics on the very bench Eileen and Dolores sat in 2014.

See below our video of the ceremony:

The concerts then kicked off with a performance of Dolores’ niece, Noelle O’Riordan, who performed two songs of her own (Hold You Always & Blue Skies) with Kellie Lewis – who we believe needs no introduction anymore – on keyboards before covering Zombie, a capella.

Dolores’ Voice of Ireland protege, Kellie, then took the stage to the greatest pleasure of the audience, notably performing a cover of Dreams, which you can watch below:

The street stage concerts ended with a performance of the brilliant indie rock & electronica influenced 4-piece band from Limerick, Parliament Square, who performed a full set including a cover of When You’re Gone (as well as a really cool cover of David Bowie’s China Girl – which Olé used to cover as well when opening for The Cranberries on their 2017 tour).

The night kept going from 10pm, with concerts taking place in all pubs in the village – Mary Howards’, Clarke’s (where The Acoustic Club was hosting an open mic stage every night), Derry’s and two stages at Clancy’s – making it hard to see all artists performing 😉

Here’s an insight on the atmosphere in the Bruff pubs, as Thick as Thieves performed Zombie on Friday night.

DAY 2

Saturday started with an amazing free outdoor yoga class by Eileen Sheehan Yoga for festival goers to attend in the Convent Gardens, followed by Pranic Healing, the festival being an opportunity to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.
One may note that the volunteers from Limerick Suicide Watch were attending the festival, promoting positive mental health over the weekend by the Dolores O’Riordan Park in Bruff.

The festival coordinator, Julianne Hennelly, also presented fans with a wonderful opportunity to gather with her in The Kennedy Rooms’ Church for a singalong, where they could share their love and passion for Dolores & The Cranberries, singing songs such as Carry On, Linger, Dreaming My Dreams, So Cold In Ireland, Iosa, Hollywood…

Main stage concerts on that day were all live streamed on the Dreams Fest 19 facebook page, where performances from Fox Jaw, MIZDREA, The Flag Listeners, Protobaby and Theme Tune Boy are fully available to watch through these links:

Fox Jaw + MIZDREA (feat. Promises at 1:30:03 and Zombie at 1:33:30)

The Flag Listeners + Protobaby + Theme Tune Boy

Here’s our own video of Protobaby’s surprising and amazingly well rendered cover of All Over Now:

As well as an extract from the eagerly expected performance of Theme Tune Boy (feat. Niall Quinn!!!) – which we strongly encourage everyone to watch – who covered A Fast One from The Cranberry Saw Us, something fans could have easily seen coming as Niall Quinn had performed this track when taking part in the “Goodbye Dolores: The Final Episode” podcast from “Coffee With a Sign Painter” released in April 2018 (1:19:30) to say farewell and share memories and music of the Cranberries singer.

Pubs on that night happened to be so crowded for the event that it was actually hard to get in and find a spot!

DAY 3

Sadly, not all shows took place on the main stage on that day, as heavy rain prevented the outdoor celebrations to be able to continue after Xero’s performance.

Performances from Eilis Kennedy & Gerry O’Beirne, Broken Cord, Wild Atlantic Cabaret, Juli Jam and Xero are nonetheless available to watch on the Dreams Fest facebook page:

Eilis Kennedy & Gerry O’Beirne + Broken Cord (feat. Zombie at 1:13:10 and Linger at 1:29:09 ) + The Wild Atlantic Cabaret (feat. When You’re Gone at 2:33:51)

Juli Jam + Xero

Here’s our own video from Juli Jam’s very moving interpretation of In The End:

Before heading to pubs for a last evening of music and celebrations – with, among others, Kellie Lewis performing a full set at Derry’s, or Broken Cord and Laurence Corbett closing the night at Clancy’s – Bruff surprised everyone with a lovely fireworks display outside of Clancy’s, as everyone sang along to Dreams, such a fantastic way to end a very special weekend.

We feel honored to have been privileged to attend such a lovely event. What a very moving weekend, that was all about sharing love for the amazing talent we have lost.

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS and BIG THANKS to the organizing committee, the local people and artists who gave their free time to give life to this humble event within such a short period of time.

Best of luck to Dreams Fest which will hopefully become an annual event where fans from all over the world can gather to share their passion on such a special and meaningful date with the heartfelt Irish people, who, we believe, made Dolores proud last week!

See you next year, Dreams Fest!

Read the article and have a look at 18 photos directly on limerickleader.ie

LIVE STREAM ON FACEBOOK:

Street Stage

2.30pm – 3.20pm: Eilis Kennedy
3.40pm – 4.30pm: Broken Cord
4.50pm – 5.10pm: Wild Atlantic Cabaret
5.30pm – 6.10pm: JuliJam
6.30pm – 7.20pm: Xero
7.40pm – 8.30pm: Cruiser (CANCELLED, heavy rain)
8.50pm – 10pm: New Age Messiah  (CANCELLED)

PART 1:

PART 2:

LIVE STREAM ON FACEBOOK

Street Stage

4pm – 4.55pm: Fox Jaw
5.15pm – 6.10pm: Mizdrea
6.30pm – 7.25pm: The Flag Listeners
7.45pm – 8.40pm: Protobaby
8.55pm – 10pm: ThemeTuneBoy (featuring Niall Quinn)

PART 1:

PART 2:

Read the article directly on independent.ie or click image below to open pdf file.

The new Dolores O’Riordan official website is now up online at http://doloresoriordanofficial.com
There is no content available at the moment, the home page features the below message:

Today marks the day you should have turned 48, and like every single day since you spread your wings to fly to another dimension, we miss you.

We have started to understand that nothing will ever ease the pain of this grief.  We will carry this sorrow through our lives.

Nonetheless, we feel it’s time to try embracing the memories, celebrate your life and wonderful legacy, and keep the flame you lit in our hearts alive.

For a year and a half, with broken hearts, our team has been mainly focusing on sharing the articles covering the devastating events, the release of the Everybody Else Is Doing, It, so Why Can’t We? 25th Anniversary Edition & that of In The End.

Today, part of our team will be joining the Dreams Fest 19 team in Bruff, co Limerick, to celebrate your music and loving spirit among your loved ones. From then on, we will aim at continuing the database work Cranberries World has been pursuing since 2011, which we hope will honor your life and remarkable career.

We love you, Dolores, and send you our blessings on this special day.

The CW Team

There are three days left before the community of Bruff, co Limerick, gathers to celebrate Dolores’ birthday and life.

As seen on their Facebook page, the town is getting ready for the celebrations.

Banners can be seen all around the town.

Measurements have been taken on the bench on which Dolores and her mother sat to answer Barry Egan’s questions in April 2014, we can thus expect the plaque featuring the park’s new name (“Dolores O’Riordan Park”) to be fixed onto the bench.

The “Bruff Tidy Town” team is doing an amazing job for the town to be ready to welcome the event.

Derry’s Piano bar, that will host some of the gigs, now features a quite moving painting of Dolores.

The festival is a free event – people attending will be invited to make donations to Limerick Suicide Watch, who will be promoting positive Mental Health on site.

In addition to unveiling the new name of the Morning Star Park, the opening ceremony will be featuring some green balloons, as a homage to the When You’re Gone music video.

Stay tuned to know more about the festival, which has already announced that the concerts will be live streamed for fans abroad to follow the celebrations!

“Dreams Fest 19” posted on Facebook and Instagram today a beautiful poster sent by theHand:

Read the article directly on limerickleader.ie

The full Dreams Festival 2019 line up was published this morning, including stages and timings (except for Mary Howards). You may notice a few changes than what was originally announced:

[OLD LINEUP REMOVED, SEE NEW ONE BELOW]

UPDATE – AUGUST 26

NEW (AND FINAL) LINEUP & SCHEDULES

FRIDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER:
7pm (Dreams Park): Unveiling & Balloon Ceremony
8pm – 8.40pm (Street Stage): Noelle O’Riordan, Kellie Lewis
9pm – 10pm (Street Stage): Parliament Square
10pm – close (Dave Clarke’s bar): Acoustic Club
10pm – close (Clancy’s Underworld): Eve’s Record Box, Outlion, Zephire
10pm – close (Clancy’s Upstairs): Mega-Trad, Thick As Thieves
10pm – close (Derry’s Piano Bar): Clare Mullins, Gary Hayes
10pm – close (Mary Howards): Laurence Corbett

SATURDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER:
2pm – 3:30pm / 8pm – 10pm (The Church & Nuns Room): Sing along tributes, Mens Shed meet the Ukealadies
4pm – 4.55pm (Street Stage): Fox Jaw
5.15pm – 6.10pm (Street Stage): Mizdrea
6.30pm – 7.25pm (Street Stage): The Flag Listeners
7.45pm – 8.40pm (Street Stage): Protobaby
8.55pm – 10pm (Street Stage): ThemeTuneBoy (featuring Niall Quinn)
10pm – close (Dave Clarke’s bar): Acoustic Club
10pm – close (Clancy’s Underworld): In The Black, Hazey Haze & Citrus Fresh
10pm – close (Clancy’s Upstairs): Damo T. Carroll, JaYne
10pm – close (Derry’s Piano Bar): Luz, Dawna, Louise O’Flanagan
10pm – close (Mary Howards): Yvonne McCarthy

SUNDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER:
2.30pm – 3.20pm (Street Stage): Eilis Kennedy
3.40pm – 4.30pm (Street Stage): Broken Cord
4.50pm – 5.10pm (Street Stage): Wild Atlantic Cabaret
5.30pm – 6.10pm (Street Stage): JuliJam
6.30pm – 7.20pm (Street Stage): Xero
7.40pm – 8.30pm (Street Stage): Cruiser
8.50pm – 10pm (Street Stage): New Age Messiah
7:30pm – 9:30pm (The Church & Nuns Room): Jenni & Colm McGuinness
10pm – close (Dave Clarke’s bar): Acoustic Club
10pm – close (Clancy’s Underworld): Broken Cord
10pm – close (Clancy’s Upstairs): Laurence Corbett
10pm – close (Derry’s Piano Bar): dREA, Kellie Lewis
10pm – close (Mary Howards): Shirley Callaghan

Dreams Festival coordinator, Julianne Hennelly, revealed most of the line up on Limerick City Community Radio earlier today. Podcast is already available below, for those who’d like to listen to the show:

As we know, the festival focuses on bringing the local rural community together, celebrating original artists music, which explains why a number of the announced acts are unknown to foreign people, but some of these will definitely ring a bell for Cranberries fans:

Indeed, one of the first act to be announced was Kellie Lewis, Dolores’ candidate at The Voice of Ireland 2014, but we also learned today that a former member of The Cranberry Saw Us will be playing at the festival as none other than Niall Quinn was announced (playing with his band Theme Tune Boy) !!!
Fans are also familiar with artists such as Jane Fraser (Ja¥ne & Eves Record Box) or Sarah Croker, who were part of the I Heart Cranberries tribute concert last year, and will be performing this year in Bruff.

Here’s below a list of the acts who will be performing at Dreams Festival 19:

Friday September 6th

Noelle O’Riordan (Dolores’ niece)
Kellie Lewis
Parliament Square
Cillian O D
Gary Hayes
Claire Mullins
Thick As Thieves
Sarah Croker
Stuart Bond
Luz
The Acoustic Club

Saturday September 7th

Fox Jaw
Mizdrea
The Flag Listeners
Protobaby
Theme Tune Boy
Hazy & Citrus Fresh
Damo Carroll
Eves Record Box
Dawna
Ja¥ne (who will be performing Pretty)
Louise O Flanagan
In The Black
Cuppa Tea TV
The Acoustic Club

Sunday September 8th

Julianne Hennelly
Éilís Kennedy
Jenní
Xero
Cruiser
New Age Messiah (band of Dolores’ nephew)
Colm McGuinness
Kellie Lewis
Laurence Corbett
Wild Atlantic Cabaret
The Acoustic Club

The launch ceremony will take place on Friday 6th at 7pm in the park by the River Morningstar where Dolores & Eileen gave an interview to Barry Egan on April 27th 2014. Children will be invited to write their dreams on balloons, that will be released during the ceremony.

Julianne also announced that the festival will feature a Church place at Kennedy Rooms where people can go and sing along.

Last, The Limerick Leader published an article about the festival today where they explained that “while the band and the O’Riordan family are not involved in the organising of this event, a spokesperson for the band and the family wished the organisers the very best with the festival“.

More information to come on Dreams Fest 19 Facebook Page.

Read the article directly on limerickleader.ie or click image below to open pdf file.

A few days ago, the artwork of a new festival dedicated to celebrating the life of Dolores O’Riordan called “Dreams Festival” was shared on socials.

Today, the Limerick Post reveals more details on this event that will take place in Bruff, co Limerick (Ireland) – in the area where Dolores was born and raised – on September 6 to 8 this year to celebrate her birthday and musical legacy.

Full line-up will be announced on August 17, but it is already known that Kellie Lewis – Dolores’ 2014 Voice Of Ireland’s contestant – will be performing!

Journalist Eric Fitzgerald explains that “the town will also re-name its iconic park where Dolores was famously interviewed with her mother during her time as a judge on the Voice of Ireland. There will be a very special unveiling ceremony at the park on Friday 6” referring to the Barry Egan interview given on April 27th 2014 for The Independent.

Promoters hope that the event will become an annual event to take place in Bruff on the first weekend of every September to celebrate original artists music as well as her homeland, and bring communities in rural Ireland together.

Read more about this celebration of Dolores and her memory on the Limerick Post’s article.

EDIT :

Dreams Fest 19 Facebook Page now provides more info !

The festival will be taking place over 7 different stages :
1. Street Stage
2. Clancy’s Session Bar
3. Clancy’s Underworld
4. Piano Bar (Derry’s)
5. Acoustic Club Stage (Clarke’s)
6. Kennedy Rooms Church (unplugged)
7. The Nuns Room (Irelands first non alcoholic bar)

Here’s below their press release :

‘Dreams’ Festival

 

The community of Bruff are coming together to celebrate the birthday and life of one of their own. Born and raised near the town in county Limerick, she is regarded as one of the worlds greatest female artists: Dolores O’Riordan.

 

Dolores, who tragically passed away in January of 2018, was the lead singer with The Cranberries, a band who rose to international success in the early 90’s, selling over 40 million albums worldwide. Dolores was a prolific songwriter and also enjoyed a hugely successful solo career in the early 2000’s.

 

The Festival, which is taking place on September 6th, 7th and 8th will showcase an eclectic mix of exciting artists. With a focus on original music, the festival will also host talks, community music gatherings, comedy, cabaret and spoken word acts.

 

Rainer Lindheim, Co-Promoter and Stage Event Manager and close friend of Dolores said ‘We hope that this years event will be a seed-planter for an annual event to take place in Bruff on the first weekend of every September. It’s spirit is to celebrate original artists music and in some way to help showcase their own dreams’

 

The town will also re-name the iconic park where Dolores was famously interviewed with her mother during her time as a judge on the Voice of Ireland. She will have a very special unveiling ceremony on Friday the 6th.

 

The festival committee comprises of members of the business, arts and music communities in Bruff. Committee member, Jack Clancy, who is the proprietor of Clancy’s bar and music venue commented, ‘We hope it will be a great weekend for the village and everyone both in Ireland and across the world who loved Dolores and wish to celebrate her legacy’

 

Brendan O’Riordan, brother of Dolores has said, ‘we want to celebrate Dolores and her memory. I have spoken to so many people who she inspired with her music, her songs helped them cope through the dark times and encouraged them to write and play, many of them will be performing for the weekend. People in rural Ireland are often isolated and music helps bring communities together and that’s what we aim to do on Dolores birthday’

 

Festival Coordinator Julianne Hennelly stated ‘as an artist who works in the area of mental health I am honoured to be part of this project. Dolores has helped so many of us struggling with depression in Ireland and throughout the world, we want to celebrate her homeland which inspired her art and kind nature. Rural Ireland is the most beautiful healing place to be, with it’s friendly, easy going way of life. Bruff has it all, lakes, historical sites, rivers, parks, cafes, big music venues and most importantly a very strong community spirit’

 

Full programme and information on events throughout the weekend will be launched on August 17th.