This year's 30th annual mummers' festival in New Inn will reach a much wider audience with the BBC visiting the east Galway village to record some material for the BBC2 Culture show which will be transmitted this Saturday night, 5 January.

This announcement was greeted with great surprise and excitement in New Inn this week, and it will certainly add to the occasion of the staging of the 30th event. Arrangements are now almost in place for the hosting of this popular traditional festival which draws huge crowds from all over the country.

The senior competition will as usual be staged on Saturday night 5 January with the junior competition being held on Sunday afternoon.

The Saturday night event has all the seasoned and experienced performers on stage, but the Sunday afternoon with the junior performers is something not to be missed. These youngsters are the lifeblood of the festival, and the wonderful venue and audience in New Inn is the perfect opportunity for them to display their talents.

The festival committee expect that competition will be very keen at this year's event. Many of the much loved and followed groups will be in new inn again this year, with some new talent presenting for the first time to add to the excitement.

The festival in New Inn is all about participation and giving the patrons a feast of top class music, song, dance and storytelling but the element of competition also adds to the general excitement.

Thanks to generous sponsors, the 2008 festival will again have plenty of prizes. The winning senior group will receive the Peter J Donohue Perpetual Trophy and €650, while the leader of the group will receive the Des Finnerty Perpetual Trophy. The runners-up will receive €400 while 3rd prize will be €250.

In the junior section, the winners will receive a perpetual trophy and €200 while the runners up will receive €150 and 3rd prize will be €100. There will be individual prizes for the best dancer, best singer, best storyteller and best individual in each group.

All mummers groups intending to participate in Festival 2008 should confirm with the festival secretary Michael Finnerty on 09096-75600, as soon as possible. The venue for 2008 festival will as always be the Leisure Centre in New Inn and proceeds from the festival will help provide recreational facilities at the Leisure Centre for people of the parish and surrounding areas.

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