Stamullen
STEAMTHRESHINGFESTIVAL
The annual Steam Threshing Festival in Moynalty takes place on Sunday next August 13th from 10am until late evening. This is surely one of, if not the best and certainly the largest rural summer festivals in Ireland. Something here for the amusement of the whole family; old days, old ways, farming machinery, cottage industries and crafts of the past, old games, exhibitions and demonstrations of yesteryear.
Hundreds of stalls with collectables, bric-a-brac, vintage items and artifacts, home cooking, pig-roasting on the Spit and served up with potatoes, cabbage and ham, modern stalls of clothing, crafts, etc., domesticated animals, hens, dogs, old games and competitions, live music, vintage vehicle displays and demonstrations etc. etc.
It takes at least a couple of hours to take it all in as the event is spread out over many acres of land in the beautiful setting of Moynalty village, while the festival appears to be getting bigger and bigger with each year passing. Take note that if you intend to travel to the Moynalty Festival, it would be wise to leave as early as you can so as not to get caught up in the long traffic delays that begin to form even before midday. Good weather prevailing, this is certainly a festival not to be missed by either the youth and/or the senior citizen.
NEW ARRIVALS.
Congratulations and best wishes to the parents, guardians and extended families of the following children who were recently baptized in the parish. Dylan Burns, Aine Gaffney, Henry Ryan and Domhnall Teeling.
FRANCISCANS DEPARTURE
In recent weeks, news emerged that both Father Ulic and Father Malcolm are to depart from Gormanston and the Franciscan Community based within the grounds of the former Gormanston Castle Estate.
Both Franciscans were wellknown to the local parishioners and indeed were well-known across the country, far and wide for their responsibilities and long association with Gormanston; in fact Father Ulic was one of the very first twelve Franciscans to take up residence at Gormanston Castle way back in the mid 1950`s and he used to tell some great tales about his experience of entering that old and gaunt turreted edifice back in the winter of 1955.
Both men have been instrumental within the grounds of Gormanston College and also within the local community; Father Malcolm was a very familiar sight within the local community over many years. They will be greatly missed by many many people and we wish them all the very best on their sad departure from Gormanston. Is feidir Dia in eineacht leat.
NEW FOOTPATH.
At last, the remainder of the footpath on the Stamullen Road is currently being constructed from Gormanston College to Gormanston Cross. The completion of the footpath was announced earlier in the summer and it was said at the time that it would be finished by the close of August and the return of children to school.
Work began on the completion of the footpath last week and although it is pushing its installation to the wire, it is hoped that the path will be completed by the return to school period at the end of the month. The footpath will eventually be completed to Gormanston Cross at the R132 Road, old main road between Balbriggan and Drogheda at the Cock of Gormanston.
This is a very welcoming development in the parish as the area here around the end of the Stamullen Road with the junction of the Gormanston village Road and the road to Gormanston Cross is extremely busy at all hours of the day and night; pedestrians were literally taking their lives in their hands each time they ventured onto the roads here, which of course is inevitable as the main 101 Dublin/Drogheda Bus Route and the local Train Station at Gormanston can only be accessed by using these roads.
Once again though; with such a huge increase in the population in the parish, this is something that should have taken place some years ago, but it is still a welcoming development nonetheless and better late than never.