Féile an Phobail

The festival was established in 1988 as a direct response to the Troubles, and specifically after the events of March 1988. The community of west Belfast came under intense media scrutiny and was described by the British Broadcasting Corporation as a "terrorist community". A small amount of friends and various local groups came together to organise a community festival in order to celebrate the creativity, energy, passion for the arts and sport that existed in West Belfast. The Féile was, and is, aimed at providing events and entertainment at a price that the majority of the community could afford. In August 1988 the first festival opened with a small parade of floats and bands and Gaelic…