Tralee gets set for Féile na mBláth

IT’S going to be a busy weekend in Tralee’s famous Town Park which is hosting the annual three-day Féile na mBláth Festival from Friday to Sunday.

The festival – organised by a volunteer team led by Bryan Carr and supported by Tralee Chamber Alliance and Kerry County Council – kicks off on Friday afternoon and will offer a huge range of activities for all ages.

Among the many attractions are live music and street performers; the Medieval Living History Experience, which returns having proved a big hit last year; dog shows; falconry displays; a Céilí; a wide array of children’s activities; a circus workshop and the ever popular dogshow.

Being as the event is a celebration of the park there will, of course, be lots of horticultural themed events.

These will include a floral display competition and exhibition; gardening displays; flower demonstrations; gardening talks and nature walks.

Food lovers and craft enthusiasts should also find lots to enjoy with more than 30 gourmet food and craft stalls to be set up against the park’s glorious backdrop. RESIDENTS of the Baile Mhuire Day Care Centre in Tralee got in touch with their inner artist recently, and now they want to showcase their skills to the public.

A collaborative project between the Tralee Art Group, (TAG) and the day care centre, there will be a visual art exhibition held in the centre from 2:30pm onwards tomorrow, June 14.

For the exhibition, TAG have encouraged many of the day centre’s residents to paint for the first time since they were children and if the rumours are to be believed, they have created some fantastic work.

“We wanted to do an art exhibition that was a little different this year so we got the clients themselves involved. It’s been a very enriching experience for all of us.”

Once they got into the swing of it, they rose to the occasion and they were soon painting portraits of their grandchildren. “It was really wonderful,” said TAG Chairperson Jane Deasy, speaking to The Kerryman.

“This is their day and we want it all to be about them,” she finished.

This event will be free of charge.

Photo by Fergus Dennehy. Tralee Chamber Alliance President Aidan Kelly; Martin Brosnan; Matthew Hanlan, aka Dandelion; Michelle Reidy Gallagher; Mayor of Tralee Norma Foley; Bryan Carr and Bridget Sugrue pictured at the launch of the Féile na mBláth festival on Tuesday morning.