Athlone River Festival returns for bank holiday weekend

The Athlone River Festival will "showcase all the best that the town has to offer" over the August bank holiday weekend, Friday July 31 to Sunday, August 2.

A carnival atmosphere is expected in Athlone over the course of the three-day event, which will run in tandem with Féile na Sionainne, the annual festival which celebrates traditional Irish music, dance and song.

Athlone River Festival chairperson Padraig Hegarty said the river schedule has a "family feel" to it.

"This is our third consecutive year to host the festival and we aim to deliver an event that is bigger and better than previous years," he said.

Given the theme of the festival, a number of events are river focused, while an opening parade, outdoor concerts and market form part of the schedule.

A street theatre parade will open the festival on Friday, July 31, at 7.30pm. Starting at Golden Island Shopping Centre, the parade will weave its way through the streets of the town before culminating at Dooley's Flower Shop in the West End.

Embracing a 'Fire and Water' theme, the parade will see the Boyne Valley Vikings, fire breathers, stilt walkers, street puppets and dance performances bringing Athlone to life, the route featuring a sensory area from Burgess Park to the Dunnes Stores junction on John Broderick Street.

"Once again, the Athlone Family Resource Centre is the driving force behind the street theatre parade which will set the tone for what is to come for the weekend. We would expect large numbers to line the route as it makes its way across the River Shannon," Padraig said.

The opening night schedule will conclude with a free outdoor concert at Athlone Castle featuring Athlone band Luain with support from local solo artist Jack Tiernan.

"Finishing the opening night of the festival with a live open air concert is a new departure for us and hopefully, the public will join support both local acts when they perform at the back of Athlone Castle on Friday from 8.30pm," Padraig said.

He said there has been a notable increase in river based activities for this year's event, and Athlone Boat Club and Baysports are hosting longboat and kayak races on the Shannon on Saturday (12-3pm), while Viking Mike will be available to offer his tours and outline the history of the river on Saturday and Sunday.

Referencing the unique atmosphere of the festival, the chairperson said the return of the national triathlon championships to Athlone tied in with the festival programme. Hosted by the Athlone Triathlon Club, the competition starts from Athlone Boat Club at 10am on Sunday.

The river-based activities conclude on Sunday with a river safety demonstration at 3pm, presented by the RNLI, in partnership with Athlone River Safety Awareness and Athlone Sub Aqua Club.

For those interested in fishing, Mad Caps Course Angling Club will host national course angling competitions at the Big Meadow on Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 5pm.

Complementing the river based activities, the Athlone Woollen Mills Market and Viking Village will both form a focal feature of the weekend's activities.

The Athlone Woollen Mills Market will dot the Athlone Castle and St Bernard’s Quay landscape for the weekend event as over 40 traders from across the midlands line the riverside with locally made goods, artisan food and unique crafts. The market will open on Saturday and Sunday, 10am-7pm.

"The market has become a welcome and atmospheric addition to our programme schedule," Padraig added.

The Viking Village will also open on Saturday morning, under the White Railway Bridge; the public will have the opportunity to experience Viking life through interactive displays, demonstrations and family-friendly activities. The Viking Village will open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The Boyne Valley Vikings will also return to Athlone for the festival. The chairperson said they expect more than 100 Vikings in the town and they will have their village open, "stretching as far as Ranelagh Way", to the public from 11am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

While Padraig is hoping for good weather conditions, he said it was most important that locals and visitors to Athlone have a "really enjoyable weekend".

He said hosting two festivals over the course of the bank holiday weekend will continue to "promote Athlone as a tourist destination", while also highlighting the "best that the town can offer" to local communities.

"I don't think that you will get two better festivals, combining the town's main asset, the river, with our traditional song, music and dance and I would encourage, in particular, the local community to embrace this bank holiday weekend," Padraig said.

He also commended the collective spirit of all involved in bringing Athlone River Festival to fruition this bank holiday weekend.

"We have over 22 different groups from our community who participate in the festival, all of whom make it the unique occasion it continues to be. The business community have also been great with their financial support, in particular our main sponsor Viking Mike and Spectrum Signs.

He said the committee are in the final stages of ensuring the weekend runs as smoothly as possible.

"While preparations are all essentially complete following months of work, the committee are busy fine-tuning the final touches for what should be another memorable occasion," Padraig concluded.