An Irish language advocate, newly appointed member of the Irish Council of State and recipient of honorary doctorates from Queen’s University, Trinity College & Open University, will open the 2026 Annual Scariff Harbour Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
East Belfast born, Linda Ervine MBE will be joined by her husband Brian, a Northern Ireland playwright, songwriter and former Ulster Loyalist politician to keep the festival’s connection with Northern Ireland alive.
Coming from a working-class Protestant family, Linda Ervine’s developing interest in the Irish language defied convention. It began with an introductory course as part of a cross-community women’s group and subsequently led to a beginner’s class at the cultural centre, An Droichead on the Ormeau Road. Never fully realising where this might lead, she now manages the Turas Project, one of the largest providers of Irish language classes in Belfast and is founder of Scoil na Seolta, the first integrated school in Northern Ireland to teach through the medium of Irish.
‘It is a very special privilege to welcome Linda & Brian Ervine to Scariff,’ said Mike Rodgers, Chair of the Harbour Festival Committee. ‘When Brian’s brother, the late David Ervine, then leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, came to Scariff to jointly open our first festival with Mark Durkan, leader of the SDLP, he left an indelible memory of what community integration looked like. Over two decades on, we are delighted to see this continue with the presence of his wider and equally dynamic family in Scariff,’ he said.
Linda Ervine is also a former President of East Belfast GAA, a further expression of her belief in the importance of community integration and moving away from the traditional view that the Irish language, games and culture belong solely to any one political viewpoint or movement. To make this relevant for the people of Scariff and beyond, East Belfast GAA U17s will come to Scariff to play in the Barry Nash Memorial Hurling tournament, where they will also be joined by hurlers from Cork, Galway, Tipperary, Kildare & Dublin.
‘Brian and I are delighted that some of our young Belfast hurlers will have the opportunity to play away from home in a county with such a strong hurling tradition,’ said Linda Ervine. ‘We are both looking forward very much to our visit to Scariff. The only time we visited Clare was many years ago when we toured the Burren,’ she said. ‘It will also hold those special memories associated with David’s visit some twenty-three years ago and of his wife Jeanette, a few years later,’ she added.
Brian Ervine stood for the leadership of the PUP after the untimely death of his brother, David but lost to Dawn Purvis, a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast 2007- 2011. In October 2010, he was, however, elected leader of the PUP. More recently, it is as a playwright, songwriter and radio presenter, where he has made his own distinctive mark. His play ‘Somme Day Mourning’ tells the story of working-class east Belfast men who gave their lives at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. His best-known song, ‘Leaving Dal Riada’ is an emotive ballad about an exile ordered to leave the country by a gunman and was sung by David in the Great Hall of Stormont Parliament Buildings in 2005.
Scariff Harbour Festival 2026 in association with Waterways Ireland runs from Thursday 30th July – Sunday 2nd August. It opens with a performance at the Church of the Sacred Heart by Don Stiffe and The Voices of Ireland. Other street music events include: Qween – a tribute, the famous Jack Lukeman, Oscar Blue from Ogonnelloe, Púca, Cnoc na Gaoithe Céili Band, Michael Grogan & friends, Eirfoyl – a pop rock group from Japan & The Kilkennys folk & ballad group.
A 10km Camino of Hope walk will be led by Bishop Fintan Monahan, Scariff Historical Walk (3km) celebrates the lives of renowned local people, ‘Behind the Counter’ lecture will remind people of Scariff shops in the mid 20th century as will Old Photos of East Clare in the Town Centre, on show will be ‘The Art of Resistance – The Art of Sumud ‘ filmed by a Scariff couple in Palestine in 2022, Sustainable Art workshop & Silk Painting with Storytelling in the Community Garden and Birchwood Sauna at the Harbour.
The Riverside Activities with UL Sport Adventure are back, also Toons & Balloons, boat tours, scouting capers, kayaking activities, cookery demonstration with TV Chef, Shane Smyth, 80/20 Pilates, and build your own chocolate bar and all the familiar artisan foods, Irish Seed Savers, craft fair & street stalls, (www.scariff.ie).
Previous Coverage
June 29th – Don Stiffe & friends to launch Scariff Harbour Festival 2026