Ireland’s Patron Saint, (St Patrick) and Ireland’s national holiday will be celebrated in style in Ireland’s Mid-West strategic planning region latter consisting of the counties of Tipperary, Clare and Limerick.
On Sunday, March 16th, County Clare’s Bunratty Castle & Folk Park visitor attraction will kickstart its 2025 tourist season with a comprehensive programme of St Patrick’s weekend entertainment featuring Irish music and dancing, storytelling, demonstrations of traditional Irish crafts and skills, and many other family fun activities.
Darby O’Gill pictured at the launch of Bunratty Castle & Folk Park’s St Patrick’s weekend programme of events.
The world-famous 15th century castle also will join other famous landmarks across Ireland in being lit up in green for the weekend.
“We are inviting the public to join us in celebrating our national feast day with the perfect blend of Irish tradition, culture, and family fun to kick off our 2025 tourist season,” said Marie Brennan, (Events Manager at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park).
“From world-class Irish dancing performances and traditional music sessions to encounters with St. Patrick himself and our merry band of dancing leprechauns, we have created a programme of events to entertain visitors of all ages,” she added. “Whether you are learning a ‘cúpla focal’ at our schoolhouse, watching traditional baking demonstrations, or witnessing vintage machinery at work, Bunratty offers a unique taste of Ireland’s rich heritage this St. Patrick’s weekend.”
Family fun activities include the Bunratty Express Train, Bouncy Castles in the Red Barn behind Macs Pub, and an opportunity to meet St Patrick, as he parades through the village street. There will be curious characters located throughout the Folk Park including Konor the Clown and his merry band of Dancing Leprechauns, and Finegas the Druid who will be recounting Irish fables and legends.
Irish dancing will take centre stage in the Corn Barn with performances by the Linda Ball Hoban School of Irish Dance, which has enjoyed extensive success at the World Irish Dance Championships and whose members have gone on to perform all over the world with Riverdance. Performers will be dancing between the jigs and the reels at 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm. There will also be live traditional Irish music seisiúns throughout the day with the public invited to bring their own instruments and join in with Bunratty’s resident musicians
For younger visitors there will be a fun and interactive Clue Trail that will lead participants to all four corners of the Folk Park through woodland trails and paddocks, with their vast array of indigenous Irish animal species from Kerry Bog Ponies to Irish Red Deer and Bunratty’s resident Irish Wolfhounds Rian and Mide.
At the schoolhouse, Bunratty’s resident Schoolmaster will be on hand to teach visitors a ‘Cúpla Focal’ and entertain with tales and traditions from school days of old, including the story of the four leafed clover and how St Patrick really drove the snakes out of Ireland.
The Bean an Tí will host a demonstration of Traditional Baking and Butter Making at 2:00pm in the Golden Vale Farmhouse where Irish superstitions will also be explained, including why it is considered bad luck to spill salt, why seeing a solo magpie can strike fear into the heart of a passerby, and why an itchy nose signifies a fight is coming in your near future.
Members of the Clare Vintage and Engine Tractor Club will be present on the day to demonstrate an array of vintage agricultural machinery at work, including corn grinders, water pumps and mini threshing machinery. Ireland’s largest collection of vintage farm machinery also will be on display around the park. The Talbot Collection have been bequeathed to the tourist attraction for permanently display throughout the 26-acre folk park and features more than 50 items of machinery, including ploughs, hay rakes, and Turnip and Mangel Seeders.
Pre-deceased by her husband John and brothers Michael (Fermoy), Pat (Clonmel) and Fr. Jim (California); Mrs Leamy passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, while in the loving care of staff at Acorn Lodge, Cashel, Co. Tipperary.
Her passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving daughters Eileen (Nenagh), Brid, Mary and Kate, sons Jerry and Jim, grandchildren Kate, Molly and Ellie Kennedy, Claire McGovern, Grace and Tom Purcell, Robert, Cora and David Leamy, Edward and Oliver Ryan, daughter-in-law Laura, sons-in-law Michael, Donal, James and Ger, sisters Sr. Jo O’Dwyer (Carrick-on-Suir) and Mary O’Farrell (Ballyporeen), brother-in-law Paddy Crowe, sister-in-law Ann O’Dwyer, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, kind neighbours, friends including former work colleagues at Our Lady’s Hospital, Cashel, Co. Tipperary.
Requiescat in Pace.
Funeral Arrangements.
The earthly remains of Mrs Leamy will repose at Devitt’s Funeral Home, The Green, Cashel, tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday March 4th, from 5:30pm until 7:30pm same evening. Her remains will be received into the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Dualla, Cashel, on Wednesday afternoon, March 5th, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 2:00pm, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in the adjoining graveyard.
The extended Leamy and O’Dwyer families wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.
Suaimhneas síoraí dá h-anam dílis i dteannta na Naomh agus na n-aingeal.
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Monday 3rd March 2025, of Mr Patrick (Pat) Fogarty, Avondale, Portarlington, Co. Offaly and formerly of Clonealy, Drombane, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Pre-deceased by his loving wife Rose, infant siblings Ann and John, brothers Martin, Dan and Michael (Mike), sisters May and recently deceased Bridie; Mr Fogarty passed away peacefully, while in the care of the staff at the Regional Hospital Portlaoise.
His passing is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing family; loving son Barry, brother Jimmy, sister Kathleen, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.
His funeral cortège, travelling via his residence, will be received into the Church of St Michael, Portarlington, Kilmalogue, Portarlington, Co. Offaly, (eircode R32 X205) on Wednesday morning at 9:15am to further repose for Requiem Mass at 10:00am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards in St Michael’s Cemetery, Portarlington.
For those persons who are unable to attend Requiem Mass for Mr Fogarty, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.
The extended Fogarty family wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.
Delayed Planting Of 2,500 Tree In Thurles Now Scheduled For Friday March 21st.
The 100 Million Tree’s Initiative is to plant a 2,500 tree urban forest at Mill Road, south-east of Thurles Town, is now set to take place on Friday March 21st next, at 10:30am.
The planting is set to be undertaken on a strip of land purchased by taxpayers and currently in the care of Tipperary Co. Council, on land on the west side of the Mill Road in the townland of Monakeeba.
See Area Map hereunder. [Eircode E41 NP02].
The event was due to take place initially on Monday January 27th, 2025, however same was cancelled due to weather and ground conditions; the area being part of the flood plain of the River Suir.
100 Million Trees Project:
The 100 Million Trees Project is a national Not-for-Profit initiative being run by siblings, Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy.
The project aims to see the planting of 100 million native Irish trees across the island of Ireland over the next decade, as a community-driven initiative to reverse the immense environmental damage caused by the reduction of forests worldwide and the loss of huge areas of biodiversity.
The project’s ambitious aim will be achieved through densely planting between 500 and 2,500 native Irish trees at a time across small areas of land using ‘The Miyawaki method’. Named after the late Japanese Botanist, Professor Akira Miyawaki (1928-2021), who developed the technique in the 1970s as a means to restore degraded land, the Miyawaki Method of over-planting trees, has been successful in creating over 1,700 forests worldwide.
Thurles public are invited to attend, with schools; local residents associations and Refresh Thurles (Tidy Towns) being invited to volunteer to aid with the planting; with sponsor Allied Irish Bank (AIB) in attendance to record the event for their website.
By planting excess trees together, same grow 10 times faster; 30 times denser; create an area 100 times more biodiverse, and most importantly create a very rapid carbon sink. This inexpensive approach requires significantly smaller planting areas and can be carried out on unused or fallow land across Ireland. Dense areas of afforestation can also actually play a role in reducing the impact of forest fires, while at the same time provide excellent areas of biodiversity.
In 2022-2023 – 20,600 Irish native trees were planted in 6 counties on the island of Ireland. In 2023-2024 – a further 201,750 Irish native trees were planted in 19 counties. In 2024-2025 the target is to plant a further 550,000 trees in 28 counties.
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