Record crowds soak up the sunshine at summer festivals

THE long promised sunshine finally arrived just in time for the bank holiday weekend as people took to the streets at summer festivals up and down the county.

Temperatures topped 25 degrees yesterday, prompting a mass dash to the beach and the many other tourist attractions.

With the sun beaming, organisers of the various festivals taking place around the country were delighted that the weather had, for once, favoured them.

In Waterford, the Spraoi Festival brought an estimated 40,000 revelers on to the streets of the Deise city. The three day bash celebrated its 12th year with one of its biggest festivals ever.

The free festival saw top international acts, including street theatre and circus groups, entertaining the crowds.

Records were shattered as larger crowds than ever lined the town’s squares and other venues.

Giant kangaroos hopped around stages and an Elvis impressionist entertained from inside a six foot balloon. Yesterday afternoon, the Fire Flies entertained in the city centre, while a youth jazz orchestra followed.

The centrepiece was last night’s Spraoi parade, this year with the theme ‘State of the Art’.

Another event attracting the crowds this weekend was the Birr Music Festival in Co Offaly, which attracted up to 8,000 people.

While the accent was on jazz, music lovers flocking to the Midlands town for the event, which concludes today, were also able to take in performances by homegrown stars such as Mundy and Mary Coughlan, who plays at the Oxmantown Hall.

However, there were plenty of alternatives for those hoping to mix music and sunshine.

The Guinness Mitchelstown Music Festival attracted an estimated 15,000 people over the course of the bank holiday weekend.

The north Cork town played host to headliners such as Coolio, Kool and the Gang and recent chart-topper Eamon.

Elsewhere, a ‘Steam Run’ in the midlands saw 24 engines traversing parts of Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois on a fundraising drive. Money raised through the innovative event will be donated to a charity collection in aid of the Irish team heading to Ljubljana at the end of the month for the third European Transplant and Dialysis Games.

The Steam Run was organised by the Celtic Steamers and the Irish Kidney Association.

The Games will see a 30 strong team, all of whom have received organ transplants, compete in various athletic events.

There is more to come. Ballybuidhe Races in Dunmanway in West Cork began yesterday and runs until Wednesday night.

The plethora of sporting events also brought people out into the clement weather.

Semple Stadium, where Kilkenny played Clare on Saturday evening, and

Croke Park, which saw a double-header yesterday have been the main centres of attention.

And the good news is that the fine weather is set to continue today in many parts of the country. However, heavy, thundery showers are a possibility, particularly in the Midlands.