An Gairdín Beo in Carlow hive of activity for harvest day
Anna and Lucy McKenna and Ivan Kasich are pictured with some of the rabbits from Nore Valley Park petting zoo
AN GAIRDÍN Beo in Carlow town was described as a hive of activity for this year’s harvest bounty day on Saturday 3 October. Organisers Glór Cheatharlach laid on a packed schedule complete with apple pressing, seed saving, a talk by Dr Eimear Cotter of the Environmental Protection Agency, with the day rounding off on a high note with a lively session from the Carlow Ukulele Players.
Local produce was spotlighted as those attending were invited to try a variety of fruits, vegetables and preserves, with pizza served for lunch.
The harvest bounty day was part of the celebrations for Carlow’s annual bilingual festival , which this year ran for ten days from 25 September to 4 October.
Organisers hailed this year’s festival as a huge success as hundreds flocked from all over Ireland to numerous free events put on over the ten days.
The festival has something for everyone in the family with the fun day being a standout new event from this year’s celebrations.
Held in Carlow town hall, the event saw 200 families attend over three hours of activities, which included storytelling with Julie Ann de Brún, fun and games with Giggles the street clown, facepainting, a spot of sean nós dancing, autumn art with Sinéad and Eliz, a taste of yoga with Alice and a drumming session with Angela Keogh and David Day.
Children were also given the opportunity to get involved when over 50 teams from 12 primary and post-primary schools with their teachers enjoyed a trip from their classrooms to Éire Óg for two morning sessions of table quizzes . There were prizes galore.
For adults, there was a bilingual table quiz held in Leabhair Agus Lattes, Carlow’s newest café , which attracted a number of teams, with coming out on top.
Dancing enthusiasts were invited to a weekend of set dancing in the Seven Oaks Hotel where there were workshops each day and a each night, where music was provided by bands Dancing to the Abbey, Brian Boru and Johnny Reidy. All levels of dancing ability were welcomed, with classes by Syl and Liz on Saturday and Sunday mornings. There was also a sean nós workshop given by champion dancer Irene Cunningham.
Congratulations to the organisers in Glór Cheatharlach on a wonderful féile!
