ELECTRIC PICNIC: Laois lads create first ceilí dancehall

A fully furnished traditional Irish music dancehall is among the new additions to Electric Picnic 2022.

The Céilí House is being erected in Freetown, and will be the first dedicated indoor venue for trad music at Electric Picnic.

It even includes couches from a local Laois pub that recently closed, the Napper Tandy in Stradbally.

The spacious hall, designed like an old Irish bingo hall and created from repurposed materials, will host a constant sessiún of Irish music, as well as a bar, traditionally decorated interior.

Most importantly its fully roofed, ensuring a welcome shelter from the predicted showers this weekend.

Below: Hugo outside the new Céilí House under construction at Electric Picnic.

It is the brainchild of Stradbally men Senan Shortall, a musician from Luggacurran, and Hugo Jellett who with his wife Ros create the entire Freetown area.

"I sent out notification to all the colleges for their trad players to come, it will be a normal sesh, with no set list. Hopefully there will be good vibes, we will be open from 8pm till late," Senan told the Leinster Express.

"He has assembled 45 musicians that will cut in and out over the three days, playing non-stop traditional music in the corner of this bar for about six hours every night. It's just a big noisy bar in an old bingo hall. There's been a bit of trad in the picnic before in the old Body and Soul area but it's never really been given its own hall," Hugo said.

Below: Senan (right) with Darragh Grufferty from Kilmead busy constructing the interior of the Ceilí House.

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Hugo is happy to be back building and running the fun filled zone of Freetown, located in the open fields en route to Salty Dog and the main arenas.

"It is just thrilling, absolutely wonderful, the weather has been good, it's been really nice being here, seeing all the people come back from the sensible jobs they had to take for the past three years. We were all worried none of them would reappear, but there's something magnetic about working in festivals that makes people who for the rest of their lives are really sensible, suddenly drop tools, or come with their tools, down here and work and that's been lovely," he said.

"There are lots of new areas and bars here in Freetown, and Jerry Fish has a new area called 'Fishtank'," he joked.