Delegation from US boosts Byrne Perry Festival
SOME 85 students from the University of Notre Dame in the US enjoyed a cultural weekend in Gorey at the Byrne Perry History and Heritage Festival.
They joined around 40 locals and regular Byrne Perry visitors for the launch of the festival in Gorey Library on Friday. The gathering was addressed by Minister of State Michael D’Arcy TD, and Gorey Municipal District chairperson Cllr Joe Sullivan. The opening lecture was delivered by Professor Kevin Whelan, lecturer at Notre Dame and patron of the festival.
This was followed by music in the Loch gCarman Arms. Saturday morning saw a series of themed discussions in the Ashdown Park Hotel, and in the afternoon, the highlight of the weekend was a 1798 walk from Clogh to Ballymore House, with a stop along the way at the 1798 site at Tubberneering, where members of the Enniscorthy Re-enactment Society gave an entertaining demonstration.
There followed refreshments at Ballymore House before the delegates moved on to the Gorey Innovation Hub for a business talk. The festival dinner was held in the Ashdown Park on Saturday evening, while Sunday morning saw the visitors attend a panel discussion on the arts in Kiltennel Church.
The festival committee were delighted with weekend, and thanked all who attended, spoke, sponsored or helped, as well as Ballymore House, Kiltennel Church, the re-enactors and the Civil Defence.