Thousands flock to Tubbercurry for the fun of the Fair
THE Old Fair Day Festival in Tubbercurry is getting bigger and better every year. Such is the popularity of the event, that traders were turned away in the morning.
The weather stayed largely dry and warm throughout the day, which is always a help.
Sean McDonagh, Chairman of the Old Fair Day committee said: “The Gardai estimated the crowd on the Old Fair Day to be 18,000+ on the day and we attracted over 25,000 people over the five days. This is the biggest festival to date. In addition to attendance, we turned traders away on the morning as we had reached capacity. Our numbers are estimated by the Garda as we don’t charge into the festival and have no entry numbers. Free entry is a tradition over the last 33 years. It is only possible with the support of our sponsors.”
He added: “We were delighted with our stalls. The town was full, the square is dedicated to our heritage, arts & craft village and vintage displays. The street coming off the square host stalls, artisan food, kids zones and crafts. There was over 150+ stalls in the town plus 80+ demonstrators, Sligo Volunteer Centre exhibition in the hall plus vintage cars, animals and the funfair.”
The running of the festival relies heavily on the contribution of volunteers.
“THE volunteers’ dedication was tremendous and overall the event ran off very smoothly. The stand out for me would be the expanded heritage, arts and crafts village. We covered the square with demonstrations, displays, vintage, artists and workshops.
“WE were able to double the number of crafters, arts and displays to bring it to 80+ this year. This was only possible with the support of Sligo County Council and the arts grant, which we are very grateful for. This year our Teddy Bears Picnic on Saturday raised money for parent’s beds in the Paediatrics Unit in Sligo University Hospital, we also donated the money raised on the Sunday from Carnival games, which brings the total to over €1k.
“The volunteer aspect of the festival is vital to it survival and growth. Without our volunteers the festival would not take part.
“I would like to highlight, it is more than a Tubbercurry festival, it’s a Sligo Festival, showcasing what the people and communities of South Sligo can achieve.
“The 14 strong committee has an average age of 35-40 and is made up of members from all the local parishes from Curry, Tourlestrane, Cloonacool, Moylough and a few new faces to Tubbercurry as well as those who have grown up with the fair day.
“Our volunteers come from all over South Sligo ranging in age from teenagers to pensioners and as the saying goes ‘all hands on deck’ there’s a job for everyone.
“The visitors come from near and far, hearing from stewards’ feedback, there was visitors from all over Sligo, bordering counties, plus Galway, Wexford, Westmeath, Kilkenny, Cork, the UK and America to name a few. This year to celebrate volunteering, we were delighted to welcome the Sligo Volunteer Centre to the hall where they hosted 15 community group/charities with talks and displays. This year thanks to our sponsors and supporting businesses, each of our 100 stewards received a goodie bag.”
With this year’s event just over, the plans are already in place for next year.
“They are already started. The music for 2019 is booked before this year’s festival opened. We have stall holders and demonstration who are already confirmed for next year festival from 10-14 th August 2019. This is always encouraging, that they wish to return to Tubbercurry. The planning has taken over a year and the committee has worked hard on the festival for months and every day for the last number of weeks. It is still not finished as we take down the stage, banners, signage, edit videos and photographs and tie up all loose ends. One thing we are very proud off is the clean-up, the volunteers come out in large numbers to help us each year. Many not even getting to enjoy the festival, they come straight from work to help us tidy up. The town is left spotless only 4 hours after the Old Fair Day ends. This is community spirit at its best.”