Féile Lughnasa set to make a splash in Cloghane/Brandon

ST Brendan, the celtic deity Crom Dubh and the simple pleasures of country life are all being celebrated together at Cloghane/ Brandon’s Féile Lughnasa, which started on Monday and runs for a week.

The highlight of the summer in the northern foothills of Mount Brandon, the festival offers everything from paddle-boarding to the Wren, with a touch of Christian pilgrimage and pagan ritual added in along the way.

Although it’s already up and running, the official opening isn’t until Friday night, when there will also be a highly entertaining table quiz in O’Connor’s bar in Cloghane at 9.30pm to help fund the festival.

Many of Saturday’s events are based at the seaside, and these include a sandcastle-building competition (10am, Cappagh Strand), paddle-boarding at Brandon pier (12.45pm) and children’s sports (12pm to 1pm, Cappagh Strand).

On Sunday, a 9.30am climb of Mount Brandon will honour both St Brendan and Crom Dubh, and later there will be a blessing of the boats at Brandon pier (1.30pm), followed by family fun activities in Cloghane, and rambles in the village’s ‘fairy glade’.

A key attraction of the festival is the adult fancy dress parade in Cloghane at 7.30pm on Sunday evening, when local wit and the power of parody will be colourfully displayed in the village.

The festival comes to a close next Monday, when the variety of events on offer ranges from a duck race to children’s naomhóg races. There’s something for everybody for sure – and far too much to include in the space available here, so ring 066-7138137 or look up www.cflt.ie for more details.