Athlone Christmas Market gets biggest sum in latest festival grants
There was some early festive cheer for the annual Athlone Christmas Market when it received the largest individual sum from the second and final round of festival and events grants handed out by the Athlone Moate Municipal District this year.
A total of €26,900 was awarded by the local authority to 17 local festivals and events which fulfilled the eligibility criteria for funding under the grants scheme.
This followed on from an allocation earlier this year of €55,250 towards 18 other events, bringing the total amount provided by the council towards festivals and events in the Athlone Moate district in 2025 to €82,150.
The Athlone Christmas Market, which is due to take place over at least four days this year, was awarded the full €6,500 which it had sought from the council under the funding scheme.
Athlone's Féile na Sionnaine, which is now in its third year and has become established as an annual town 'fleadh ceoil', also received a significant allocation, of €5,000, though this was considerably less than the €26,000 requested by the organising committee.
The two-day 'Samhain in the Heartlands' event planned for Uisneach in autumn was awarded €2,000, while the same sum was granted to the annual Moate Agricultural Show in August.
Also in Moate, an outdoor cinema screening event at Dún na Sí, was given a €1,500 funding contribution, while Dún na Sí was also given €1,000 towards its Halloween 'Spooktacular' and its 'Xmas Experience and Mini Xmas Market' was awarded €1,000.
Heartlands Pride Athlone was given a grant of €900 towards its third annual Winter Pride Festival which is taking place from November 7-9 this year.
Another Athlone-based event, The Heart of Ireland Burlesque Festival, in September, was granted €1,000 from the Municipal District. Next month's Yoga Picnic festival at Lilliput, Westmeath, meanwhile, was given a €1,500 grant.
The other recipients were: Kilbeggan Town and Community Festival (€750), Athlone Photography Club workshop and talk (€500), Connaught Street Athlone Heritage Week event (€1,000), Frank Gavigan CCE October Comhaltas weekend (€500), Noel Cuffe Cup pitch and putt tournament in Ballymore (€500), Lough Ree Yacht Club Annual Regatta (€750) and Streamstown Summer Festival (€500).
Councillors were told that the Athlone Christmas Market received the largest funding allocation because it was being held over four days. "It's based on the economic value it brings to the town," said council official Annette Barr Jordan.
Cllr Tom Farrell praised the work being done by the organisers of the Yoga Picnic festival and suggested that they might be invited in to make a presentation to the councillors about the event.
However Cllr Paul Hogan noted that the Yoga Picnic was "a commercial event" and said the local authority ought to be cautious about awarding grants to such events.
He said that the tickets for the event were being sold for significant sums, and that they were in high demand.
"I'm not saying they're not bringing economic value to the area. We just need to be careful," said Cllr Hogan.
Ms Barr Jordan said she agreed, and that the local authority would be looking at the situation again next year to see whether it needed to continue providing any grant support to the event.