Athlone’s two-festival weekend ‘the best yet’

By Rebekah O'Reilly and Kevin O'Neill

Organisers of the two Athlone festivals which were held in tandem with one another over the bank holiday weekend have described them as the most successful stagings yet.

The fourth year of the Féile na Sionainne celebration of traditional music and dance coincided with a hugely successful Athlone River Festival over the long weekend.

Thousands of local people and visitors to the town flocked to the festival events, which kicked into action on Friday with a vibrant street theatre parade through the town, organised by the Athlone Family Resource Centre.

And after the festivities concluded on Sunday, Athlone River Festival organising committee chairperson Padraig Hegarty praised the people of Athlone and its surrounding areas for coming out in droves to support the event, which is in its third year since relaunching in 2024.

"The weekend was a major success," Padraig said. "It probably exceeded expectations, if I'm honest.

"We started the project of relaunching the festival with a five-year plan three years ago, and it's been a lot of hard work and commitment from so many people, that has got us to this point.

"The festival is well and truly back, and after a couple of months' break for the committee, we will return to planning for next year in October. We will be striving to make it even bigger and better in 2027," Padraig added.

Athlone's Féile na Sionainne went off "without a hitch" this August Bank Holiday Weekend, with its fourth staging described as the best yet.

Chairperson of Féile na Sionainne, Jim Mulkerrins, said the energy in Athlone across the weekend mimicked the vibrant and buzzing atmosphere of Galway's Shop Street.

"That's like the mecca, you hope you can create that relaxed summer atmosphere, and the music is central to that," he said.

Contributing to the feel-good energy of the weekend was the weather, which stayed largely dry across the three days.

"It went really well, it's the most successful year to date, and we definitely more than doubled our attendance numbers," Jim said.

"Businesses said it was one of the busiest Saturdays they've had. Over bank holiday weekends, Friday and Monday are usually the busy days with people travelling out of town. This completely flipped that on it's head; Saturday and Sunday were the busy days."

Events such as the busking competition and performances under the canopy attracted great attention, with inclusive events in Athlone Library and St Kieran's Community Centre also drawing crowds.

"Working with the River Festival was huge, they brought the water activities and we brought music and events throughout the town. We had performers travelling from throughout the country, and the feedback from them was phenomenal.

"People came to Athlone for the weekend, and Athlone people stayed in the town for the festivals - and that says it all," said Jim.

He added that word of Féile na Sionainne was now spreading nationwide.

"Musicians are being pictured at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (in Belfast) wearing their Féile na Sionainne t-shirts, and they're spreading the word of how wonderful the festival is. To be attracting national recognition is a huge thing for us."

Padraig Hegarty said the Athlone River Festival organising committee was particularly keen to thank its many sponsors for their help in recent years, including its main sponsor Viking Tours Ireland River Cruises, Westmeath County Council, Spectrum Signs, Spice India and Baysports.

He also thanked the many other sponsors, including Sean's Bar, which assisted (along with Viking Tours Ireland) in sponsoring the music stage behind Athlone Castle, where local acts like Jack Tiernan and Luain was among the artists who entertained the crowd.

The organising committee also extended its best wished to Luain band member Sean Malone, who unfortunately couldn't make the occasion due to illness.

The committee also reserved special thanks for Laura Kelly, of Athlone Triathlon Club, and Trevor Wykes (Madcaps Coarse Angling Club), as well as to Athlone Boat Club, the RNLI, Athlone Sub Aqua Club and the Order of Malta.

"The committee and everyone involved takes great pride in the festival, and the ultimate goal is to return the festival to its peak from the mid-nineties.

"We are on the right track, and anyone interested in helping us achieve this is more than welcome to reach out and get involved in the organisation of next year's events," Hegarty said.