Fresh from Glastonbury, The Magic Numbers to headline Convergence at Lurgan Castle with independent festival expecting thousands

It’s a cracking list of artists taking to the stage of Saturday, August 23rd. Also taking part is Dead Goat, a talented line-up of lads (some formerly of Malojan).

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With Convergence at Lurgan Castle running from from 3pm to 11pm, there is certainly an eclectic set with bands such as Aqua Tofana and The Zac Mac Band.

Zac, you may already know as a Lurgan lad with a huge social media profile. Also in Zac’s band is Nick Hawryliw from the Red-Hot Chilli Pipers.

Others in the line up include Spade Town, Finn and DJ Greg McCann (80-00s Old School Disco) - Gregg is well known and has supported members of Oasis, The Smiths, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and New Order. He’s also had residency at Lavery’s and Filthy’s in Belfast.

All that with the Magic Numbers who are celebrating 20 years of great music with a tour of south America soon.

But it’s not just about the music. The organisers have lots of exciting side lines for festival goers so there’ll be plenty for you to do between sets with plenty of bars, great food and who knows what else!

While you can’t bring your own alcohol in there will be a fabulous welcome with a FREE ‘long pour’ at the Gate – bascially Espolòn Tequila with Pink Grapefruit or you can go for the virgin option and drop the Grapefruit!

Convergence at Lurgan Castle has only become possible because of the huge energy from husband and wife team James Killoran and his wife Trish (who is from Lurgan).

“There’s one thing I’ve seen about people from County Armagh, they know how to have a good time. I remember William Street last July after the (Armagh) win – it was buzzing,” said James.

"What struck me was that there were people from all walks of life just out celebrating and having fun together. So, when the opportunity presented itself this year to do something in the town, we grabbed it with both hands.

"People are always saying that Lurgan needs something, so here we are. We’re giving it something,” said James.

"We have an office at Lurgan Castle for our other business and it’s an amazing spot. The Castle itself is a fantastic backdrop and the grounds around it are massive.

"We wanted to do justice to that, so Trish started to reach out to bands we’d normally only see playing the bigger cities. I couldn’t believe it when she said that she’d got The Magic Numbers. Their festival calendar was packed.”

"They’ve just played Glastonbury and are about to head out on the South American leg of their 20 Year tour. But Trish is persistent, and she got them,” said a proud James.

"There’s also a lot of great music talent in the town and we wanted to give that a stage as well. In some ways, getting the locals acts proved harder than organising the headliners, but in the end, we’ve five amazing bands, plus The Magic Numbers, plus a DJ session.

"We’ve tried to bring as many different genres together as possible, because we want Convergence, as the name suggests, to be a really positive event for the town and indeed the county. We want to see music lovers of all ages and walks of life to share in something brilliant.

"The festival itself starts out with a disco by DJ Gegg McCann. The guy is a legend, and the front of the Castle is a brilliant space for that sort of thing.

"Then for those still standing, we have the live music stage at the other side of the Castle. Plenty of bars and food vendors along the way.

"We’ve also been really lucky with the support we’ve had from other businesses in the town as well, because Convergence at Lurgan Castle is all about bringing people into the town who might otherwise never come.

"We’ve been working with the Ashburn Hotel who will be accommodating guests and The Burn who are hosting an After Party as well. We’ve also been working with local printers for all of the event collateral and we’re using local vendors on the night for food.

"We’re also working with Just A Chat, the local mental health charity and in addition to sponsorship, we’re planning on being able to give them a healthy donation when this is over.

"I must admit, it’s been fun to do and involve the family in helping, but it’s also equally terrifying. We’re funding this ourselves and we just hope that the town and county get behind it.

"We were joking at the weekend that we’re probably going to be buying the biggest round of drinks in the town’s history, as we’re giving everyone a free Long Pour’ on arrival. That’s basically a shot of Espolon Tequila and Pink Grapefruit.

"Let’s hope people come,” said James.

Lurgan based charity Just a Chat will also be around to support those at the festival and hopefully will benefit from a significant donation.

People can get tickets at Skelton travel, or online with this link. It’s an over 18s festival and tickets are only £37.50.

The Ashburn Hotel in Lurgan is hosting the Festival’s After Party with doors opening after the final set at Convergence at Lurgan Castle.