Walking festival will be launched with parade through Castlebar
By Tom Gillespie
THE 56th annual Castlebar International Four-Day Walking Festival kicks off this evening (Wednesday) with a colourful opening parade through the streets of the county town.
Up to 200 visiting walkers will participate in the parade which will be led by a colour party from the Reserve Defence Forces and the Castlebar Concert Band. It will commence from the Ivy Tower Hotel - the headquarters of the festival - at 6.30 p.m. and proceed to the Mall.
Sadly, a lack of accommodation in the Castlebar area has greatly reduced the visiting walker numbers.
However, there are representatives from Israel, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, USA, Germany, New Zealand and the Netherlands in Castlebar for the event.
Newly appointed festival director Rowena Gillespie, who has been associated with the festival for 37 years, took over the mantle of festival director earlier this year from Elaine Devereaux.
Rowena gave a run down of the various road walks and - unique to Castlebar - the rambles (or cross-country hikes), which traverse some of the most scenic areas in Ireland.
She said: “Each morning the walkers congregate around 8 a.m. at the Ivy Tower Hotel to be bussed to the various walking routes.
“The minimum walk is 10k, local around Castlebar, except for day one which will be on Achill Island.
“That Thursday we are in Achill for the ramble, starting at Patten’s Bar on the Sli Grainne Uaile loop on the Atlantic Drive, and we are using the facilities of the Great Western Greenway with the 20k walk starting at Achill Sound and finishing in Nevin’s in Newfield. The 10k walk will start outside of Mulranny and will also finish at Nevin’s.
“Our goal is to utilise the scenic facilities that Mayo has to offer and to show them at their best to visitors and locals alike.
“On Friday the ramblers head to Keenagh for a looped walk, which on a clear day offers magnificent scenery in the wilds of Mayo, but this requires a level of fitness.
“The Friday 10k road walk takes the Turlough Greenway, with walkers bussed to Turlough. The 20k involves walking from HQ to Turlough, Ross, Crimlin and Knockaskibbole.”
She continued: “On Saturday the ramble heads to Letterkeen while the 10k road walks go to Raheens Woods and back to HQ, while the 20k take the same route but goes to Cornanool, Graffymore, the Glenisland Road, with views across to Clare Island, and back in by Snugboro.
“On Sunday all the road walks leave the Ivy Tower Hotel for the Lough Lannagh loop, Castle Lane, Newport Road and Snugboro, with the 10k walkers returning to Castlebar and the 20k heading for Derryhariff and in by Raheenbar and Lough Rusheen.
“Later in the evening the awards and closing ceremony take place for the international marchers, and the gold and silver awards for local participants. This will be followed by a supper, tickets for which are available at the Ivy Tower Hotel, concluding with the Blister Ball.”
Special entertainment is being laid on in the Ivy Tower Hotel each evening with an outside stage in the adjoining gardens.
Registration for the walks, for those who have not already done so online on info@castlebar4daysdwalks.com, opens at mid-day today (Wednesday), in the Ivy Tower Hotel, where those who have already registered can collect their start cards.
Rowena stressed: “It is vital that walkers preregister so that the necessary insurance is in place and transportation is available to take them to the starting points and back to HQ in the evening.”