Loren is first Festival Queen

It was a very difficult decision and any one of the contestants could have been chosen, Deputy Martin Heydon told those who attended last night's Festival Queen and Sponsors Night for the Kilcullen River Festival, writes Brian Byrne.

Martin was one of the judges of the event, and with four contestants for the position of Festival Queen, the honours went to Loren Hammond, representing Joey's Hideout. Loren will lead the Festival on Sunday week, the fifth running of an event which has grown from strength to strength. She will also appear at other community functions through the year.

Martin Heydon TD, judge; contestants Layla Meglouhi, Izzy Lawlor, Loren Hammond and Aisling Dooley; and judges Jeremy Parr and Natalie Collins.

The tiara for the Festival Queen is sponsored by Newbridge Silver, and Martin Heydon's fellow judges were Natalie Collins from Newbridge Silver and Jeremy Parr. The other contestants were Aisling Dooley, representing Kilcullen GAA; Izzy Lawlor, representing Fallons; and Layla Meglouhi, representing The Spout.

Congratulating the River Festival Committee for their successful development of the event over the last five years, Martin Heydon said it was an opportunity to 'brand' Kilcullen, in a similar way to other major attractions around the country.

Thanking all those who had helped to make the festival happen, committee member John Courtney particularly singled out Steve Kinneavy, who will be retiring from An Garda Siochana in November. "We will miss him very much, as he is the kind of garda that the Commissioner would want in every town and village in Ireland," he said.

He also thanked Mary O'Neill for her work with the Festival. "Behind every event there has to be somebody who takes charge, and when she asks all those in favour of a proposal to say 'Aye', we all say 'Aye' ... but it has already been done anyhow and she's only asking out of courtesy."

The evening was attended by a wide range of Kilcullen people, as well as Tony Lenihan of Failte Ireland, which is the event's main sponsor.

For a full visual flavour of the evening, here are pictures. It's going to be a great Festival again ...