Don’t ask me why I decided it was a good idea to travel to Roscommon for The State of Mantua Music & Arts Festival during the height of the summer sunshine because despite the fact that I was never quite convinced that Roscommon actually existed until I arrived in the sprawling metropolis of Ballaghadereen, the mere thought of spending a weekend in a bog in the arse end of nowhere up to my knees in muck coupled with the delightful prospect of exposing my tender bottom to sanitation facilities that would make the Chernobyl radioactive no-go zone seem positively homely should have been more than enough to convince me to stay at home in the relative luxury and comfort of my own home.

That said, once I was at peace with the fact that everyone and every thing was covered in mud, it wasn’t such a bad affair and to be perfectly honest it was a damn riot. The weekend was a blur of musical styles delivered by umpteen djs and numerous live acts including the Skatalites and the Sultans of Ping and I learned that surprisingly it is possible to sleep next to an event tent pumping out 50,000 watts of continuous drum and bass goodness.

I took lots of photos of nice friendly people and a few are displayed below. If you're interested and would like to see the rest then simply click here.

The State of Mantua Music & Arts Festival

Labels: Bands, DJs, Festivals

# Forged from the fiery depths by Pure Cork Boy.