Local holiday weekend festivals a huge success
Athlone was positively buzzing this Bank Holiday weekend as it hosted both the Athlone River Festival and the Féile na Sionainne.
These events saw hundreds of festival-goers, from Athlone itself and from further afield, descend on the town to enjoy the wonderful music, food, and culture. Although the rain was frequent, it didn't dampen anyone's spirits!
The second ever Féile na Sionainne festival displayed the best of local and national talent as the performers showcased vibrant performances, lively dances, and traditional music. The popular canopy sessions returned on Saturday, where artists such as the Luan Academy, An Cór Lár Tire, Ann Marie Hynes, Pádraig Pearses Scór Group and many more took to the stage.
Féile PRO John Madden said: "All in all we're delighted with the way it went. This year we were able to build upon the success of the inaugural year. The workshops, for example, went down exceptionally well.
"There was a wealth of talent, especially from the busking competition, from young people. It was just amazing to see that." The winner of the U18 competition was Lana Cox.
Mr Madden described how everyone hopes for the festival to become an annual event: "We do it for the passion for music that we have in the wider community. We saw a vast number of groups produce amazing music together. It's of course the dream to have the national Fleadh in Athlone in the next ten years or so."
The River Festival has been a staple of summer in Athlone for many years now, and remains as popular as ever. The Chairman of the festival, Padraig Hegarty, said: “It was amazing to see how well supported this festival was. The people of Athlone came out in massive numbers to support their town, local businesses, and both festivals.
“The Viking Village was the highlight of the weekend, and one which will leave some great memories for everyone who visited them this weekend.
“We would like to thank every business and individual who sponsored the festival. Without their generous donations it would not have been possible. As Chairman of this great festival I would personally like to thank each and every committee member of the Athlone River Festival for their hard work these past few months. A very special mention to Michelle Doyle for her work with the TUS micro village.
“We will all now take a much needed rest, in the early new year planning will start all over again! We would encourage anyone who would like to support with planning to contact me to get on board. Thank you Athlone.”
Mr Hegarty also expressed specific thanks on behalf of the committee to Athlone Sub Aqua Club, Athlone River Safety Awareness, RNLI, Westmeath County Council, A1 Cleaning (main sponsor of the angling match on the Big Meadow), Madcaps (organisers of the angling match), Inland Fisheries for their support throughout the weekend, Canal Heritage Group, Viking Tours Ireland, their friends in Féile na Sionainne, Technical University of the Shannon, Family Resource Centre, Na Fianna Martial Arts, the Order of Malta and An Garda Síochána.