Band championships and fair go ahead in Clonakilty as road restrictions lifted

Fears have been allayed about the risk of major infrastructure works prompting a scaling-down of a music festival which yearly attracts more than 1,000 visitors to a West Cork town.

Organisers have confirmed that the two-day 36th South of Ireland Band Championships and Old Time Fair Day in Clonakilty will go ahead as planned next weekend. They say assurances were given by the West Cork Municipal Authority that road restrictions will be lifted for the summer.

Some 27 marching and concert bands are arriving from all over Ireland. The event begins on Friday evening with an open-air recital at Astna Square, and runs alongside a colourful Old Time Fair on Saturday.