FROM guided tours of Allman’s Distillery to learning how to ring bells, the Bandon Walled Town Festival has become an integral part of the calendar in Bandon since its very first outing in 2008.
Now in its 15th year, the committee have ensured that both the promotion and the heritage of Bandon takes centre stage in what is an action-packed festival running from August 15th to 23rd as part of National Heritage Week.
With this year’s theme being ‘Heritage at Risk’, the festival once again invites visitors of all ages to discover the stories, traditions and landscapes that have shaped Bandon for over 400 years.
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Festival chair, Maria Walsh recalls the festival’s early days when it was just an idea that a few Bandonians had about promoting the heritage that the town boasts.
‘In 2008 Bandon Town Council supported our application to the join the Walled Town Networks and we have been very fortunate that Cork County Council has continued to support the festival since.
‘The idea was to promote and run events to highlight heritage and crafts. It started with the conservation of the town wall and they decided then to promote the heritage of the town with a festival.’
The original committee members were Gillian Coughlan, Marie McLaughlin, Pamela Hickey, Betty and Jim Smith. Maria said music and tradition are at the heart of this year’s festival with live performances and workshops. Remarkably, the festival is put together by a team of just five – Maria Walsh, Maria McLaughlin, Dan Holland, Patsy Holland and Liam Murphy.
Preparation began in January.
Maria explained: ‘Our primary funder is the Heritage Council and we also get funding from the festival fund from Cork County Council/Pure Cork. We have local sponsors on board too.’
The Family Fun Day on the final day is a highlight, which transforms Bandon into a living history village with heritage parades, battle re-enactments, circus performers and much more.
‘It’s a sign of its success that the festival is still going after 15 years and that’s down too to the constant support we receive from the community,’ added Maria.
For full festival programme see bandonhistory.com.
