Firms asked for €75k to fund street shows

BUSINESS people in Tralee are being asked for €75,000 to pay for a street entertainment programme during the town’s money- spinning Rose festival.

Upwards of 70 volunteer stewards are also needed to help run the event later this month in the Kerry county town.

As part of a so-called Back to Basics programme, which has an emphasis on street entertainment, Tralee publicans are urging support for the fundraising campaign.

Jigsaw Kerry, a community programme promoting better mental health among young people, organised a benefit night at Tralee Greyhound Track during the weekend.

More than 60 hours of free entertainment is being organised by the Back to Basics group, with feature acts including Crystal Swing and The Coronas.

In recent years, the festival has reverted to an original formula of family-type entertainment based on lots of activity on the streets of Tralee.

This year, the Sunday programme will return to Tralee Town Park for the first time in five years.

“For the past four years, we’ve been building up the street programme with the support of businesses in the town and it’s definitely a key feature of the festival,” said Bryan Carr, of Back to Basics.

A meeting was held in Tralee, last night, to recruit volunteer stewards to help run concerts, performances, parades and other events.

Mr Carr described volunteers as the “lifeblood” of the festival and the people that ensured everything worked as planned.

“Being involved as a volunteer gives people first-hand experience of working on an international festival which has developed a massive reputation in the last 50 years,” he said.

So far, 45 people have signed up and Mr Carr said he was confident a further 25 would make themselves available for the five-day event.

Their work during the festival could include liaising with performers and musical groups, supervising activities around stages, working in the festival dome, as well as helping with parades and street closures.

All volunteers will be given health and safety training, provided by groups such as the HSE, Kerry County Council, Civil Defence and the Red Cross.

They must be aged 18 or over and previous experience is not essential.

This year’s International Rose of Tralee Festival will run from August 20 to August 24.