MALLOW IS SET FOR EASTER FEST
THE town of Mallow ís the place to be this weekend as the hugely popular Racing Home for Easter Festival makes its eighth annual outing.
For three glorious days Mallow will be transformed into Cork’s sporting and cultural capital, with the town gearing up to welcome thousands of visitors eager to savour the special atmosphere of arguably one of the most varied and colourful events of its kind anywhere in the country.
They say that variety is the spice of life and if that is indeed the case then the multitude of exciting events taking place across the town over the weekend should be enough to satisfy even the most jaded of palates.
As the festival’s name might suggest, the ‘Sport of Kings’ will take centre stage, with the Cork Racecourse set to play host to some of the country’s top runners and riders all eager to grab their own share in the €346,000 prize money up for grabs.
Mary Kelly, festival chair and sales and marketing manager at Cork Racecourse, said the action would be a “top class” mix of flat, national hunt, hunter chasing and point-to-point races.
“On Saturday, the feature race is the ultra-competitive Cork Handicap, on Sunday the Grade 3 Imperial Call Chase, while on Monday we switch it up for a brilliant mix of flat racing, hunter chasing and point to point flat races. So there will be something for everyone,” she said.
Fashion will come under the spotlight at the track on Easter Sunday, with Jessica O’Gara set to cast her eye over the sartorially savvy punters, with fantastic prizes for grabs for the best dressed lay and gent.
However, racing will be just one element of the festival, with a packed schedule of events taking place around the town set to stimulate the senses and titillate the taste buds.
The fun will kick off at 11am on Saturday with a fun procession from Market Square, which will also be the location for the day-long Mad hatter Tea Party, to the grounds of Mallow Castle for the eagerly anticipated Family Fun Day.
There will be plenty of entertainment on offer with a pet show, live music, comedians and entertainers and the usual array of kiddies entertainment.
Easter Sunday will see the Castle grounds transformed as more than 50 stalls set up for the Artisan Food and Craft Fair, with a background soundtrack courtesy of the Cork Light Orchestra.
On Monday the Castle will be the staring point for the Family Fun 19km cycle hosted by Pi Cycles and the Revolution Cycling Club.
“Cork County Council has invested massively in the Castle grounds over the past 12-months and it is a wonderful venue in the middle of our town that we can be very proud of,” said Mary.
“It provides the perfect safe and central location for the jam packed weekend programme of events and is easily accessible to all.”
On Easter Monday, Pipe Bands from all over the county will converge on Mallow Castle for a public concert which takes place as part of Cruinniú na Cásca 2017, the nationwide celebration of the arts and creativity.
Organised by Cork County Council, the free event will run from 3pm to 5.30pm.
Mary acknowledged the huge community effort behind the event, saying it could not happen without the dedication of the festival committee, the support of the local business community, the financial backing of Cork County Council and other funding bodies and the assistance of local community groups.
“Now that the planning and organising is done we hope everyone enjoys the festival and that we can make them smile over the three-days,” she said.
To see the full programme of festival events visit www.recinghomeforeaster. com.