Register now for Castlebar International Walking Festival

By Tom Gillespie

THE 57th annual Castlebar International Walking Festival kicks off next month and locals are encouraged to participate in the four-day event.

Festival director Rowena Gillespie is encouraging as many locals as possible to join in the road walks and scenic cross-country rambles.

Likewise, she has appealed to the business sector in the county town to put on window displays and erect flags and bunting to welcome the visitors. She stated: “We are inviting all the people of Castlebar to become involved with the walking festival whether they join us in the walks, do window displays, or hang out flags and bunting, all in an effort to welcome walking visitors to Castlebar.

“We have up on 200 visitors travelling from all parts of the world, from as far away as Australia and Japan, to participate in the festival. This, of course, is well down on the figures for earlier years, solely because of the grave lack of accommodation in the area.

“However we have walkers travelling from Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, UK, Czech Republic, and the International Protection people in Castlebar are also invited to take part.

“We want to get locals back involved in the festival and we are asking them to register beforehand because our rambles sell out. To register, they can go on to our website (see right) or find us on our social media pages and click on the link ‘to register’. Likewise there are posters around the town and there is a QR code on them which can be scanned to register.

“To ensure we have enough transport laid on we need to know the numbers in advance. Our aim is to get as much local community involved as possible. Registration closes on June 29. “We will have registration open days on June 29 and 30 for locals in the Ivy Tower Hotel from 1 to 5 p.m.”

Rowena, who has been associated with the festival for 38 years, took over the mantle of festival director last year from Elaine Devereaux who has been in the hot seat for up on 30 years.

Rowena, an employee of Penneys in Castlebar, has put her personal stamp on the walks, which this year take place from July 4 to 7.

She continued: “On Wednesday, July 3, we will hold our opening ceremony with a flag parade through the town accompanied by the Castlebar Concert Band, with walkers carrying flags from all the participating nations. The parade will depart from the Ivy Tower Hotel, headquarters to the festival, at 6.30 p.m. and proceeds to the Mall for the opening ceremony.

“The walkers will return to the Ivy Tower Hotel for a short briefing and later the visitors and locals will be entertained by Bata Fada.

“Each day we will have a 10k and 20k walk and a guided cross-county ramble.

“On the Thursday the ramble will be on the Sli Grainne Uaile in Achill, which will take four to five hours. The 10k and 20k road walkers will be bussed to Achill. The 20k walkers will be dropped at Achill Sound and will walk the greenway while the 10k walkers are dropped a couple of kilometres outside Mulranny and they will finish at Nevin’s of Tiernaur.

“On Friday the ramblers will tackle the trail at the back of the Mulranny Park Hotel, the road walkers will be on the Turlough Greenway (10k) while the 20k will go from HQ to Turlough, Ross, Crimlin, and back into Castlebar on the Windy Gap road. The Saturday ramble is to Keenagh and the road walks depart from HQ around various local routes around Castlebar.

“On Sunday the ramble is to Letterkeen at Newport while the road walks are around Lough Lannagh, with the 20k going to Snugboro.”

Some sound advice for those on the rambles is to bring wet gear and have proper footwear. All of the road walks are road marked and there will be guides on junctions to direct walkers.

Entry fee for the 10k is €10 per day, the 20k is €12 per day and the ramble is €18 per day.

The Redmond Academy of Irish Dancing will be on hand in the Ivy Tower Hotel to give the visitors some lessons in Irish dancing which hopefully they will be able to display at the closing Blister Ball on Sunday night.

Rowena, who is a Sergeant in the Reserve Defence Forces, 6th Battalion, and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the Irish Red Cross, said: “I have been associated with the walks for well over three decades. The unique ramble/cross-country walk is the jewel in our crown as no other international festival provides such an attraction - one which shows up the vast rugged beauty of the west of Ireland.”

To register, log on to https://www.castlebar4dayswalks.com.