At the annual LAMA awards in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, the In Humbert’s Footsteps picked up the Best Gathering Event award for Ireland. It beat off stiff competition from 10 other events from all over Ireland including the hotly tipped JFK Homecoming event in Wexford.
The In Humbert’s Footsteps festival coincided with the 215th anniversary of the famous French landing and subsequent battles in 1798. This was re-enacted on the streets of Castlebar, Killala, Kilcummin, and Lahardane. People came from all over the world to take part but also to witness the colourful spectacle. Chairman of the Castlebar committee Ger Deere said: “It was an honour to be part of this wonderful event but I am especially proud for all the volunteers from the various communities who made this possible.”
Deputy Michelle Mulherin welcomed the news saying, “When the idea of a Gathering event to celebrate the French landings at Killala in 1798 was first mooted, no one could have thought that it would bring tens of thousands of visitors to the events across Mayo, that it would be the highlight of The Gathering year and that it would receive accolades such as the Mayo People of the Year, and Gathering Event of the Year from the Local Authority Members Association.”
She continued: “The organising committee behind In Humbert’s Footsteps put mammoth work into the event and it lived up to its promises to be the year’s highlight. There was a full schedule of events, starting in June with an exhibition in the National Museum of Ireland in Turlough, followed by events in Kilcummin, Killala, Lahardane, and Castlebar over the weekend of August 16 to 18 and visitors came from around the world. Despite the economic difficulties, it was great to see this dedicated group of enthusiasts getting behind this project, and I would like to congratulate Steve Dunford, Michael Baynes, Cllr Ger Deere, and everyone else on the committee in Castlebar and Killala, and indeed to the organisers of all Mayo Gatherings for their considerable efforts and the legacy they have left.”
There was double success for Mayo on the night with Mayo County Council picking up the Most Innovative Authority award for the Spirit of Place, a sculpture on Inishturk island which was commissioned in a partnership between Mayo County Council and Professor Travis Price of the Catholic University of America.
