Creggs Harvest Festival, running from October 27th to 30th, promises to be a fun-filled weekend for all the family, with a variety of events, including style night, craft show, dog show, the Bard of Connacht event, and a concert featuring Eleanor Shanley and Mike Hanrahan.
Friday
The annual Festival gets underway on the Friday evening with a quiz for National School children in the Heritage Centre at 6 pm. This is always a fun-filled event for local children, with question master Seamus Ward on hand to deliver rounds of questions.
Later that evening there is a quiz at 8 pm in O’Roarke’s Bar. The cost for a team of four is €40. The event will be finished by 10.30 pm, as then, The Boogiemen take to the stage!
A highlight of Friday night is the Style Night, with style advice and tips from Maria Carton. The event is taking place in Creggs NS and begins with a reception at 7.30 pm. Caroline Canny (Manager of Carraig Donn, Westport) has kindly agreed to provide goodie bags to all present, and the ladies of the region are already looking forward to a wonderful night out. Tickets for this event are €20 and are available from O’Rourke’s Spar.
Saturday
Saturday begins with a GAA Skills competition at the GAA pitch at 2 pm, which is being organised by Eugene Hanley. Children from Creggs and further afield are already looking forward to this event and testing their GAA skills.
This will be followed by the Mountain v the Valley football match at 3.30 pm, which is always the subject of great rivalry and anticipation. We are looking forward to some stars of yesteryear making their appearance on the field on Saturday afternoon.
Creggs is synonymous with rugby in the region, and will be a great place to watch the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday night, with watch parties in local pubs. Both Roarke’s and Gannon’s promise to be memorable places to watch the final.
Sunday
Sunday gets underway with a Children’s Fancy Dress Parade from Gannon’s Car Park to the Wildlife Park, where there will be some Halloween fun and games. Make sure to have you Fancy Dress ready for Sunday at 12.15 pm for this parade.
Crafters from all over the midlands and west will gather in Creggs NS on Sunday for the annual craft fair. It’s important to support local crafters by going along and making a purchase from these local entrepreneurs.
Another highlight of Sunday is the annual Dog Show. This year’s event features 21 classes and the overall champion of the show will receive the Dan Callaghan Cup. The event takes place at the rear of Creggs NS and there will be lots of interest, so make sure to arrive early, and if you’re planning on entering your pooch in one of the many classes, entries priced at €5 each will be taken from 12 noon and the show starts at 1 pm.
Eleanor Shanley and Mike Hanrahan will perform a concert in the Heritage Centre at 8 pm on Sunday night. A limited number of tickets are available for this event, so if you’re planning on attending, get your ticket early and enjoy what promises to be an evening of first class music and song.
Monday
Monday is Bardic Monday in Creggs, with a distinct poetic flavour to events. Events get underway in the Heritage Centre at 11 am where there will be a children’s poetry event and the presentation of prizes in a local art competition for children.
A Family Fun Run in conjunction with Suck Valley AC gets underway at 1 pm and this timed 5k Run will be an enjoyable event for all the family, starting and ending at the Heritage Centre in Creggs.
The Bard of Connacht event takes place throughout the afternoon in Creggs NS. A newly-organised competition for Transition Year students from the region will take place at 2.30 pm and the Senior Bard competition takes place at 5 pm.
The Festival comes to a close with the annual Children’s Halloween Disco in Kilbegnet Hall from 6 pm to 8 pm, where children from the region can enjoy a fun disco in the spooky spirit of Halloween.
