Paddy Casey to headline River Fest

The headline act for the music side of this year’s Kilcullen River Festival is singer-songwriter Paddy Casey, writes Brian Byrne.

The Dublin-born singer has six albums to his credit, several of them certified multi-platinum, and in addition to his own tours and theatre and festival performances, he has supported U2, R.E.M., Ian Brown, Ani DiFranco and The Pretenders among others. His latest album is ‘The Secret Life Of’, recently released.

Paddy will close the River Festival, following local band Barley and Grape Rag.

The Festival is Sunday week, the 27th, kicking off from 12 noon with food, crafts, and many familiar attractions through the afternoon.

No Tri, but Soap Boxes to return for Festival

Following on from the confirmation that the Kilcullen River Festival will return for 2017, we can now provide a few more details on the event, writes Brian Byrne.

Although plans have not yet solidified, it is understood that the Soap Box Derby which was inaugurated in the 2015 event will again be part of the day’s entertainments on the Sunday.

The Triathlon which was a feature of two Festivals will be replaced by a 5K/10K Run on the Saturday evening, partly because of difficulties in getting contestants into the river because the wooden dock at Riverside Manor has been dismantled.

The dock was built as a temporary measure for the Canoe Club while their current premises was being built, and it had become rotten in places and unsafe.

For similar reasons, there’s still a question over the Raft Race, a perennially popular element of the River Festival, though it’s thought it may still be possible to run it.

The Tug O’War, a traditional finale to the Sunday’s proceedings, will not be making a return, for safety and insurance reasons.

Over the next few months, the organising committee will be firming up the programme for the Festival, which will be held on the weekend of 26-27 August.

Confirmed: River Festival 2017

After taking a break for a year, the Kilcullen River Festival will be back at the end of this summer, writes Brian Byrne.

Following an organising committee meeting yesterday, it was decided to hold it on the weekend of 26-27 August.

More details as the organisation progresses, but put the date in your diary.

Pictures from the 2015 event can be viewed here (it rained, remember?).

River Festival to return in 2017

The Kilcullen River Festival will make a return in 2017, after a year's break, writes Brian Byrne.

This was confirmed recently to the Diary by Brian Fallon, one of the organising founders of the event, which was held six years in succession up to August 2015, and each year grew in success. But poor weather on the day in 2015 dampened things.

One of the new features of that year's event was a Soap Box Derby, which added a different level of thrills alongside the constantly popular Raft Race and other river-based events.

The Festival also acted as a showcase for local food outlets and restaurants.

There’s no word yet as to whether the Kilcullen Triathlon which was a feature of the weekend for 2014/2015 will be resumed in 2017. It's understood there were insurance concerns following an incident during the road cycle part of the event in 2015.

No River Festival this year

There will be no Kilcullen River Festival this year, writes Brian Byrne.

The committee has decided to ‘take a break’ for 2016, and in a statement says they look forward to returning in 2017.

The Festival has taken place six years in succession, and each year grew in success. But poor weather on the day last year dampened things.

One of the new features of last year's event was a Soap Box Derby, which added a different level of thrills alongside the constantly popular Raft Race and other river-based events.

The Festival also acted as a showcase for local food outlets and restaurants.

There’s no word yet as to whether the Kilcullen Triathlon which was a feature of the weekend for the last two festivals will be continued.

Date for River Festival

The date has been set for this year's Kilcullen River Festival, writes Brian Byrne.

It will be held on Sunday 23 August. Details will be posted as they come available during the summer.

All in place for Kilcullen's big festival

Mary O'Neill and John Courtney at the launch night of the River festival.

Festival to be bigger than everIt'll all be happening in Kilcullen next Sunday for the fourth running of the Kilcullen's River Festival, which has grown out of all proportion to the expectations of local businesses who organise it.

Reptiles, river fun, great food and rock 'n' roll are all in the recipe that makes the event the perfect official end to the summer in mid-Kildare.

New this year is a Chowder Competition in which restaurants in and beyond Kilcullen will be competing for a place in the National Chowder Competition in Kinsale.

There's also a new Cross-River Challenge where a blindfolded goalie tries to prevent scores wearing giant gloves. The regular Raft Race and Tug-O-War competition are already fully subscribed and will once again provide uproarious entertainment.

A big lineup of local bands will play throughout the afternoon, and two surprise music events are promised, including a debut number from a local songwriter relating to Kilcullen's association with the River Liffey.

All the time, those who come along for the best of family fun can browse through the Tented Village with restaurant foods, shops, entertainment, arts and crafts, tricky tricksters, bouncy castles and sumo-suit wrestling.

The Barman's Race is another highlight, as is the annual Lions Duck Race raising funds for local charity, sport and cultural endeavours.

It all gets going at midday on Sunday, and the town will be closed to traffic for the event. Diversions and ample car-parking will be signposted.

Key sponsors this year are Kilcullen Centra, Fallons, Bardons, Nolans Butchers, Trevor Hull Media and Joeys Bar & Restaurant. There's also wide-ranged support from many other Kilcullen businesses.

Launch of River Festival 2013

A good turnout last night to the official launch of the Kilcullen River Festival 2013. More details of the event, being held on Sunday 25 August, later.

New kids on the music block

Throwing Circles at RiverfestOne of the local music groups who will perform at this year's River Festival have come out of starring roles in the CPC musical 'Bohemian Rock', writes Brian Byrne.

They are Sam Stevenson (Vocals/Guitar), Ben Morris (Drums), Calum Lane (Guitar) and Conor Becton (Guitar/Mandolin), and they''ll be making their public debut as 'Throwing Circles'.

They have been working hard all summer to perfect their set list, and are finally ready for the gig, prior to going into 5th year in the College.

The three all intend to go on and study music when they leave school. We wish them well.

Looking ahead to River Festival 2013

The last blast of summer funThey never thought it would get as big as it did, but Kilcullen's River Festival has now become the exclamation mark of the end of summer, writes Brian Byrne. Not just in Kilcullen, but for many families who come along from other parts of mid-Kildare.

The fourth festival is slated for Sunday 25 August and this year it will feature some interesting new attractions as well as bringing back regulars.

The new Chowder Competition is attracting strong competitive interest from restaurants throughout Kildare, not least because the winner will go forward to the National Chowder Cook-Off in Kinsale. The Kilcullen event will be located in the Heritage Centre, and tastings for adjudication will be free to all at the festival.

The Raft Race centerpiece of the river-based schedule has attracted even further interest for this year, with an expected 10 rafts currently entered. This will mean a staggered start system both for safety and entertainment reasons. The organisers have sent forms to all teams in a strict registration regime to comply with insurance requirements, and all participants are required to wear helmets and flotation vests.

This year the festival also 'gets wings'. Nope, no aerial stunts, but the Red Bull Minis will be in place and giving out free samples.

Other attractions will include the familiar food stalls operated by local cafes and restaurants, crafts and entertainment stalls, and the very popular Reptile Zoo. Local bands will again feature strongly in the event, in a programme of music organised by Jim Kelly.

The organisers have once again arranged for Kilcullen's Main Street to be closed to traffic from 12am on the day, and diversions will be in place for drivers who want to get around the town.

This article was first published on the Kilcullen Page of The Kildare Nationalist.

River Festival programme builds

Perfect family day to end summer holsAttractions for the fourth Kilcullen River Festival include promotions by Red Bull, a Chowder Competition among restaurants in the area, and the perennially popular Raft Race this year with even more entrants, writes Brian Byrne.

KFM will also broadcast during the event, which attracts thousands of people to the town.

Again, the town centre will be closed to traffic for the Festival. Last night's meeting of the organising committee (above) heard there was again strong interest from vendors in stalls of all kinds.

Attractions for children will include the Tricky Tricksters suite of entertainments, street theatre acts, and the Reptile Zoo among others.

The Chowder Competition will be held in the Heritage Centre, and there will be no charge for tasting by the public, who will be asked to fill out verdict cards.

Local bands will again feature strongly in the event, in a programme of music organised by Jim Kelly.

An official launch of the Festival will take place on 16 August.

The Diary will keep you up to date with further news on the event as arrangements are finalised.

Registration requirement for Raft Race

Register or no raftingParticipants in the Raft Race at the Kilcullen River Festival on 25 August will be required to pre-register for Health & Safety and insurance reasons, writes Brian Byrne.

Each team must nominate a member to get in touch with the Festival organisers to get a relevant form.

Anyone not pre-registered will not be able to take part in the Race on the day. This will be strictly enforced.

The email address is kilcullenriverfestival@gmail.com.

Chowder competition for River Festival

Winner for National Chowder Cook-OffA Seafood Chowder Competition will be a novel highlight event at the Kilcullen River Festival 2013 set for Sunday 25 August, writes Brian Byrne.

Local restaurants, as well as some from other towns in the area, have already signed up for the Competition, from which the winner will go to the 3rd National Chowder Cook-Off to be held in Kinsale.

Members of the public who attend the River Festival will be asked to judge the local competition after sampling chowders produced by the local contenders.

River Festival date confirmed

End of summer highlight returnsThe Kilcullen River Festival has now been confirmed for Sunday 25 August, writes Brian Byrne.

It's the fourth year of the Festival, which is organised by a group of Kilcullen business people and friends and which has attracted thousands of people on each of the occasions it was run.

This year the committee are promising new attractions and guests, and details will emerge over the coming weeks.

To remind you of what it's like, here are pictures from last year's event.

Riverfest 2012: The bands

The music talent in this town is exceptional and it excites many when the River Festival comes around, writes Jim Kelly, because unlike seeing your favourite local band in a pub or school play, at the festival you get to see them all on the same day on the same stage. Each band giving their all for 40 minutes or an hour.

I took responsibility for the music at the festival when Flock of Budgies were asked to play at it their first time and I realised that every band playing deserved to be on that stage. Each and every member of these bands didn't lick their talent off the ground and put their time and effort into learning their instruments and lyrics, making it suit their band, not to mention the bands that have their own original tracks.

Jim Kelly

This album has but a few songs (originals, mash-ups and covers) from each band and with their permission we hope to raise funds for Riverfest 2013. With their efforts and the help of Steven O'Connor, who produced the album, we hope to make next year even better with many great ideas already in the pipeline. Also thanks to Martin Anderson for his work on the album cover and inlay card—he has put a lot of free time into this also to help make it work.

This album makes a perfect Christmas present for a young person in your life who's into live music.

New Trail a 'gift to the community'

"I couldn't put words on the contribution which Bridge Camphill has made to Kilcullen in the almost 21 years since they came here."

Perhaps not, writes Brian Byrne, but Noel Clare did manage to put on record a heartfelt gratitude of Kilcullen to the Camphill community for what he termed the many 'gifts' which they have provided to the town in those last two decades.

The occasion was the official opening of the Kilcullen Farm & Nature Trail on the community's grounds, below the bridge over the Liffey which was the reason for Kilcullenbridge being established around 600 years ago.

Noel said that the key element of Camphill's contribution has been the people they have brought into the town, both residents and co-workers. "I think they have really added enormously to the fabric of what Kilcullen is. And their latest gift to Kilcullen, what a gift that is ... with the new Trail we have even more access to the Liffey and its history and environment than we have ever had."

He added that being able to get so close to the river and to nature is not just an advantage for people's bodies in fresh air, but also 'good for our minds our spirits to be in contact with our environment'. "It is something which I hope we will all enjoy, and look after and respect over the coming years."

Earlier, Camphill's Mischa Fekete had publicly thanked the staff of Liberty Investments in Galway and Dublin who had given their time on a recent Difference Day team-building initiative to build much of the Trail. They are coming back in September to complete further elements of the initiative, including seating areas and a shelter on the riverbank.



The tape to mark the official opening was cut by Camphill's Siobhan Dunlea, following several musical renditions by the bell-ringers of Camphill.




The opening event included two guided tours of the Trail by Eleanor Sutherland, who wrote the information for a series of information signs which have been placed along the path and boardwalk. The signs were designed by Mischa.



The map at the start of the 750-metre Trail was designed by Geraldine Gahan.

A great day again, and here's the story

It goes against all Irish summer odds that a one-day festival can have fine weather for three years in a row, writes Brian Byrne. But that's just what happened yesterday for the third Kilcullen River Festival.

But then, the organisers deserve it, because once again they pulled out all the stops to give the thousands who attended the event an end-of-summer memory that will be the saving grace for a weatherwise less-than-memorable holiday season.

The Army was missing this year, which was a pity, but the food, craft and novelty stands offered more than enough attractions for the mainly family groups who turned out from all over the mid-county and beyond.

Reptiles, scorpions, clowns, magicians and a breath-taking juggler of sharp knives were just some of the other elements that kept people occupied between the river novelty events.

And the bands, mostly from the Kilcullen area, provided a musical background for the throngs that promised a long future of talent in the town, maybe even to national and international prominence someday.



A really pleasant interlude included the official opening of the Kilcullen Farm & Nature Trail in Bridge Camphill, with the ribbon cut by resident Siobhan Dunlea.



Hilarity was provided as usual by a range of other kinds of talent from the pubs. This year a Barperson Race was new, and it's safe to say that none of them ever had to carry a tray of pints across the river before!



The Raft Race was open to other organisations this year, so the Badminton Club and the Solas Youth Cafe entered. Maybe they hadn't seen in previous years just how Bardon's Bandits marauders treat the competition, and weren't prepared to be boarded and tipped over. But the pirates did it to everybody, even the guitarist on The Spout Party Boat saw no quarter and his chords later in the evening were probably somewhat soggy

The evening ended with the tug-o-war, won by O'Connells from the Spout even if commentator Fergal Sloan kept trying to extend the number of pulls in the competition to give his favourites The Spout an extra chance to improve their situation.

Well, it's all over now, and it was yet another very successful Kilcullen River Festival. If a picture says a thousand words, this set has volumes to say.

Well done to all concerned—Geri, Tara, Steve, Brian F et al. You played a blinder.



(Here's the direct link in case you're viewing on an iPhone.)

More rafts ready to sail (well, some nearly ready)

More from the Day.

River Festival: Another raft sneak peek

And hot from the lens of our Raft Spy, here's how the Badminton Raft has shaped up, for the Raft Race later this afternoon.

This event is always hilarious, and is likely to be even more so if there's a ship's dog involved.

More from the Day.

River Festival: Getting ready

Things are heating up down at the square with the River Festival staff all abuzz and early arrivers getting their stalls in place.

"In future I'm going to plan all important events in my life for the last day of August," Tara Gale quipped, looking at the amount of blue sky about. If the third River Festival is third time lucky with the weather, maybe she has a point.



More from the Day.