It was 28 degrees Celsius when I reached Ballintubber at ten past one on Wednesday afternoon. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the place was deserted except for a Guinness van and a HB ice-cream truck – what more could a man want?
Across the road I could hear Colm Daly clanging away in his workshop, though he was soon outside chatting to a man who was half in/half out of his car.
Ballintubber is famed as one of Roscommon’s tidiest villages and in fairness, there wasn’t a single discarded Guinness can or HB wrapper to be found anywhere on Wednesday. The pristine and friendly village is a wonderful setting for the annual Heritage Festival which kicks off this Sunday (July 1st).
A month-long series of events begins this Sunday with a National Children’s Playday in the Old Schoolhouse followed by a welcoming party in Garvey’s Bar later that evening.
The welcoming party is for the fifty US students expected to arrive in the town ahead of the ‘Castles in Communities’ project taking place throughout the month of July. The student archaeologists and their professors will continue the excavations in the grounds of Ballintubber Castle, which is owned by Pyers and Marguerite O’Conor-Nash.
‘Castles in Communities’, which is led by Dr. Neil Brady, Dr. Dan Cearley, Dr. Chad Gifford, Dr Kathryn Mauer and 50 students from Foothills College in California and Columbia University in New York, will be the centre piece of the heritage festival with entertainment and activities taking place throughout the month.
The two local bars, Kenny’s and Garvey’s, will play host to numerous events, of course, including live music from renowned performers such as Celtic Crú, Carmel McLoughlin and new local band, Four Fields Over.
A Mock Vintage Wedding with the Looney Hoppers will also take place in Kenny’s Bar on Sunday, July 8th with fun and madness guaranteed on the day!
Garvey’s will host a Pony Drive for Ballintubber Active Age on Sunday, July 8th, ‘A Day in the Bog’ on Monday, July 9th and plenty of live music sessions throughout the month.
Heritage Weekend, which takes place from Saturday, July 21st to Sunday, 22nd will include an exhibition of traditional cooking, butter making, crafts, castle tours, ‘Mystic Nelly’, and much more in the Old Schoolhouse on Saturday. This will be followed by a ‘Celebration in the Garden’ in Garvey’s with music and food.
Sunday will feature hay making, ‘Visit the Forge’, ‘Tug O War’ and a visit to Willsgrove Hall. Kenny’s Bar will celebrate 125 years in business with a celebration later that night.
Tidy Towns Chairperson and Kenny’s owner, Eileen Kenny, said she was looking forward to another busy month in the village.
“We’re really looking forward to the Americans returning for what promises to be another wonderful Ballintubber Heritage Festival. It’s brilliant to see the information that has been discovered so far and everyone here is excited to see what’s discovered this year.
“Everyone is very welcome to come along to the lecture evenings which will take place in the Old Schoolhouse throughout the month and the students and archaeologists will display their findings over Heritage Weekend”.
The people of Ballintubber are extremely proud of their heritage and the organisation which goes into this annual event is testament to their hard work as a community. This year’s Heritage Festival promises to live up to the high standards set by the organisers over the last number of years and for visitors and locals alike it promises to be another wonderful month.
Further information on this year’s Ballintubber Heritage Festival and the many other events taking place in the village throughout the month of July is available on the Ballintubber Tidy Towns Facebook page or ballintubbervillage.com.
