Helium Festival will not go ahead this year

The hugely popular Helium Festival in Ballymahon will not be going ahead this year.

The award-winning festival, which had attracted high profile acts like Mick Flannery, Ash, The Coronas and The Stunning to the South Longford town over the last five years raised over €50,000 for Ataxia Ireland.

In a statement, the organising committee confirmed they have “decided to step out on a high for now, in the aftermath of the massive success of Helium 2013”.

However, the good news for fans of the festival is that they didn’t rule out a return for the event which brought hundreds of people to Ballymahon in the future.

“Helium has won many awards, received nationally recognised nominations, created a greater awareness of Friedreich’s Ataxia and has raised €50,000 for Ataxia Ireland. It started from very humble beginnings and we never dreamed of it ever reaching the success it did,” the statement pointed out.

The committee enthused that it has been a pleasure to share the festival with some of the world’s most popular musicians including The Stunning, Ash, The Coronas, Damien Dempsey and many more over the last five years.

“In fact, more than 150 talented bands involved over the years have shared nothing but praise and positivity about the special vibe of Helium’s 'Secret Garden'.

“With Ataxia Ireland and the important work it does, remaining so close to the heart of the people of Ballymahon, the fundraising is going to continue but with a new challenge. A number of the committee members will be participating in the Budapest marathon in October 2014 with all monies raised once again going to Ataxia Ireland.”

The committee thanked all the festival goers, suppliers, musicians, sponsors, media outlets, businesses and the people of Ballymahon for making the Helium Festival so special over the last five years.

“As for Helium in the future - who knows what may lie ahead - never say never!

Finally, we would like to say a special thank you to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly and many long hours, weeks and in some cases months to make Helium happen. The event could never have happened without you,” the statement concluded.