All eyes will be on Kilchreest this weekend as it hosts its first ever Village Festival.
Events kicked off with a Chequered Flag reunion last evening (Wednesday ), and continue with a Drama Night this (Thursday ) evening where there will be drama, poetry, songs, and monologues taking place in The Village Inn pub in Kilchrest.
Cemetery Mass takes place on Butt Hill in Friday evening and this will be followed by the launch of the local Community Alert Service. There will also be a table quiz in aid of the Kilchreest/Peterswell Gun and Conservation Club, including a wild game BBQ on Friday, while on Saturday the pace really hots up with a 60K Challenge – encompassing a 45k bike ride around the Slieve Aughty Mountains, a 12K hike, and a 3K run. For the slightly less energetic there is a Craft Fair with market stalls from lots of local crafters taking place in the specially erected marquee beside The Village Inn pub. All this entertainment will be rounded off on Saturday evening with live music from the Humble Superstars at 9.30pm.
On Sunday a Vintage Tractor and Bike show is being held behind the village, while there is a Fairy Walk with storytellers in the enchanted surrounds of Woodville garden followed by a Duck Race near the village. There is also a novel Best Tea Maker competition with lots of different categories to choose from. The Country Sports will be followed by a traditional music session in the pub between 6pm and 9pm, which will be followed by live music from Tradstone at 9.30pm.
Committee member Luisa Carty says seeing different festivals taking place around the county spurred locals on to try and organise something of their own. “We just decided there was not a lot going on in the area and we wanted to change that! We have been amazed at the amount of young people who were interested and there has been a fair bit of organisation involved. I would urge people to turn out and support this local festival as these types of events cannot take place without the support of the community. There is a great weekend of entertainment promised, and there really is something for everyone - young and old.”
See the Kilchreest Festival Facebook page for all the details about the weekend’s events.
