Culchie Festival News 2011

The Culchie Festival is delighted to announce that the Leo Club in Roscommom will be a beneficiary from their 6th Annual Run which takes place in Mohill as part of this years celebratory festival.
Their on going work with young people in the area is to be greatly admired and every support that can be given to them should be encouraged' said Paddy Rock one of the organisers of the festival. Such is the commitment of the group they have decided to travel in force to be in Mohill on the Sunday morning of the run to meet and thank all of the participants.

The Leo Club works on projects in the prevention of suicide in Roscommon town and along with other issues in relation to the community. The "4U" magazine published three/four times a year is aimed at young people in the 13-24 age bracket, with advice on how to deal with mental health issues and its content is made up of sport, fashion, music, and celebrity interviews, it is a fun, informative and an entertaining read. With guidance and advice from professionals in health care the magazine addresses positive mental health issues for young people.
The "4U" magazine is produced on a voluntary basis, the editorial committee is made up of Leo club members, students from various schools,  Lions Club members and is supported by Dormant Accounts funding.
The free magazine is distributed to thousands of young people in secondary schools throughout County Roscommon and adjoining counties.
 This aspect of our suicide awareness and prevention campaign involves approaching the issues through an emphasis on positive mental health in this very popular and widely-read magazine.
Our aim is to help reduce instances of suicide and self-harm amongst young people.

Back to Top

View on Youtube - Click Here

Back to Top

The Search for the King of the Culchies, Super Gran's & Cracking World Records begins at this year’s Annual Culchie Festival!

The second in the series of Meteor’s ‘Bringing the Craic Back’ campaign

Read Full Press Release

Back to Top

Culchie Festival John Reynolds and Donk taking a tea break

Back to Top

If you are a fan of Boxty then you are in for a treat.  To celebrate our 21st Birthday, Chef Pádraic Óg Gallagher of Gallagher's Boxty House in Temple Bar has decided to bake the World's Biggest Boxty Dumpling as a salute to all culchies and the Culchie Festival.
 
The World's Biggest Boiled Dumpling will be made from a range of specially-selected Champion potatoes which have been carefully cultivated and harvested at Lissadell House in Sligo for Pádraic Óg.
When Mohill man Gallagher opened Gallagher’s Boxty House in Dublin’s Temple Bar in 1988, few Irish people believed that we actually had a cuisine of own to be proud of. Gallagher’s Boxty House has been a huge success, and has arguably made boxty internationally famous. Initially a self-taught chef, Pádraic Óg returned to college in his 40s and graduated with a degree in the Culinary Arts from DIT. He has published a number of academic papers and is a big potato enthusiast.

The recognition of the high quality of our native cuisine and our dedicated quality food producers is growing internationally, and Padraic Óg was delighted and honoured to be the first Irish chef to have been invited to cook the Gala Banquet for the highly prestigious Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery this year. Last year's invited Chef was Raymond Blanc.The Biggest Boxty  Dumpling will be presented to the Culchies at our press launch on the 7th of October at Gallagher's Boxty House in Dublin's Temple Bar.

Further information on the Boxty House can be found on their web www.boxtyhouse.ie

Back to Top

Fergal Darcy Top Jock at I102-104fm will attempt to put on in excess of 144 pairs of Underpants in  just one hour and set  a new Guinness World Record for his efforts. Fergal who hails from Balllinasloe in Co Galway has asked his huge following of faithful listeners to his popular afternoon show to post him in their under wear in order that he can have them as part of pack. The challenge first put to him by festival organiser Paddy Rock was a bit of a shock for the DJ at first but never to be disturbed by most things thrown at him he accepted the challenge. He recently appeared on the mid morning show on TV3 with Martin King and Cybil Mulcahy and gave them a sneak preview of what will unfold on the day of the record attempt.

The record attempt will take place in Mohill Co Leitrim on Saturday 23rd October at 2pm as part of the 21st culchie celebration weekend. Further details from www.culchiefestival.com

Fergal Darcy i102FM Top Jock announces World record intentions on The Morning Show on TV3. Click here and jump to 29mins

Back to Top

Ten of Leitrim's top super grans will compete for the the above title on Friday 22nd of October at the Bacon & Boxty Ball which will held at Clarke's Hotel Mohill Co Leitrim. One of the tasks to be given to the Grans as part of the selection process will be to prepare a lunch box for a culchie going to work for the day. Among those entering the competition is a gran who is one of s family of 24. Dymphna Reilly seen here after milking her goat will also compete for the title. Compere for the night will be well know RTE celebrity Paddy O Gorman. 

Back to Top

All of us at the Culchie Festival would like to convey our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mick Lally.

Mick was without a doubt the iconic culchie we all grew up and modelled ourselves on, through his portrayal of Miley Byrne in Glenroe.

He will be sorely missed, Mick we salute you.

Back to Top

*Happy Birthday to all culchies we have come of age !!!!*
We are celebrating our 21st Birthday in Mohill Co Leitrim why not join us for the weekend Accommodation details and programme of events to follow

Back to Top

For Information on Accommodation contact :
Thomas Mulligan, Mohill, Co Leitrim
Tel : 086-6000520

Back to Top

All roads lead to lovely Leitrim for the October Bank holiday Weekend.
This year Mohill has be selected as the venue for 2010 culchie festival.
This year is a very special year as the festival will host its 21st birthday party.
The events calendar is packed brim full of fun events which will include The Leitrim Super Gran competition, Matchmaking of Culchies and festival escorts, The Culchie a la Crème competition, the King of the Culchies competition, Junior Culchie competition, The Women in Wellies competition. The Great Honda 50 Run(charity motorbike run)will take place on Sunday the 24 0ctober and will take in some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland as it journery’s through the highways and byways of Leitrim. The festival will be overseen by the current King Leo Finn from Galway.

This year’s festival promises to be a super event as it is being held in conjunction with the Mohill Horse Fair. The Mohill Horse Fair has rapidly established itself as one of the premier Horse Fairs in Ireland. Anyone who has attended the Horse Fair in previous years will not want to miss this years special event as the entertainment value provided by Culchies and Horses will make this event one to remember.

The Culchie Festival has a long established reputation for world record attempts and this year will be no different. There are a number of attempts being considered and an announcement will be made shortly on which records will be broken over the weekend.

Back to Top

Leo Finn from Gort in Co Galway has be selectecd as the King of The Culchies for 2009. 
He beat off steep oposition from 19 other hopefull culchies this weekend in Ballyjamesduff Co Cavan to become the 20th King to be elected to this unique office. Leo will now sit on the  Glen Eagle Throne for the next year where he will rule over his fellow culchies.Leo first fought for the title in 2000 where he was narrowly defeated, but this year he made no mistake and left all his rivals trailing in his wake.
When asked what it ment to him to win the title of King of the Culchies he replied "Everything, It makes me so proud to be a culchie". 

Leo who is married Linda has two young daughters and is delighted with his new title. Mr Finn is looking forward to a very busy year. 

He will carry on the proud culchie festival tradition of working with local charities to assist with all aspects of fundraising .
 
He is also looking forward to naming the first new born donkey in the parish in 2010. 

Back to Top

Culchie Kings on Ireland AM. Click Here

Back to Top

 
Festival Organisers Paddy Rock & Brendan Morrissey with Pat Kenny & Ryan Tubridy on his Honda 50

Back to Top

Grafton Street came to a standstill today when The Paddy Reilly Band busked its way into the record books. The six musicians, who are all named 'Paddy Reilly', were brought together after a worldwide trawl. The band will give its first full performance before a gathering of scores of Paddy Reillys  - another prospective world record - at the 20th annual Culchie Festival in Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan this weekend.

The six Paddy Reillys come from Cos Cavan and Louth and play guitar, tin whistle, double bass, drums' fiddle and keyboards. Ballyjamesduff is synonymous with the Percy French song, Come Back Paddy Reilly To Ballyjamesduff which was written about a local man.

Organiser Paddy Rock said: "The Paddy Reilly in the ballad existed in real life used to ferry French around Co Cavan on his pony and trap more than 100 years ago.
"But Paddy suddenly left to go to Scotland and was never seen again. Percy French missed him and wrote the song in his honour."The band aims to sing a cover version of the popular ballad to raise funds to erect a statue of Paddy Reilly in Ballyjamesduff, beside the existing statue of Percy French on a park bench."

The organisers are also aiming to set a new world record by gathering as many Paddy Reillys as possible in one spot - beside the statue of Percy Frency - this weekend.
The www.comebackpaddyreilly.com website has been launched to attract Paddy Reillys from all over the world for the event.

Meanwhile the first Dubliner - Michael 'Maxi' McConnell from Ballyfermot - has been admitted as one of the 22 contestant for the King of the Culchies pageant after years of resistance by the organisers.

The event, being held in Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan, will kick off with on Friday, October 23 with the gala Bacon & Cabbage Ball. This will be followed by Ireland's inaugural Super Granny competition.

On Sunday, another world record will be attempted with the 5th annual Honda Step-Thru Run, which is expected to beat the current record of 481 bikes in a single parade. Special guest will be Fair City actor Alan O'Neill who plays Keith in the soap. Proceeds from the Festival will fund local branches of the Alzheimer Society & Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Other events during the weekend include the Culchie Olympics featuring Welly Throwing, Potato Picking and Wheelie Bin Racing, Hammer Throwing and Turf Footing. The 2009 Culchie will be announced at midnight on Sunday in St Joseph's Hall.
All events are taking place in venues in Ballyjamesduff such as the county museum, the community centre, the cattlemart, Soden's Bar, McBride's Bar, Crowe's Corner, Colm's Bar and Reason's Bar.  
 
For more information, contact Paddy Rock (087) 243 9760.

Back to Top

The Irish Motor Neurone Association and The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland (Cavan Branch) have been announced as the two charities to benefit from the 5th Annual Great Honda Step-Thru Run which takes place at the 20th Annual Culchie Festival this year in Ballyjamesduff Co Cavan on Sunday 25th October. This long established and nationally supported run draws Honda Step-Thru owners and enthusiasts from all over .

This long established and nationally supported run draws Honda Step-Thru owners and enthusiasts from all over Ireland and the UK. The first Honda 50 run was held in Summerhill, Co Meath in October  2005, since then a total of €127,092 has been raised for charity. This year the organisers hope to have over 500 bikes on the run all motoring for these two worthy causes!!

The launch of Honda Run took place on the set of Fair City at Harry Molloy’s Garage with Joan Brosnan -Walsh who played Mags from the popular TV Soap up to recently, but retired as a result of being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Orlaith Rafter who plays Robin & Alan O’Neill who plays Keith and special Culchie guest - King of the Culchie’s Adrian McCabe all agreed to lend their images to help promote the event and raise much needed awareness of MND.

Speaking from the set of Fair City organisers Paddy Rock and Brendan Morrissey said that they were “looking forward to working with both charities to further raise the awareness of the work that these organisations do and of the much needed funds that they need to keep their respective organisations working”

Also speaking at the launch, Derbhla Wynne of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association said that this is a wonderful opportunity for the association to raise much needed funds & awareness of Motor Neurone Disease.

Trevor McCay Morrissey of the Alzheimer’s Society said we are delighted to be a joint recipient with Motor Neurone Disease and any monies received by them from the run will be used exclusively for the Cavan Day service based in Cavan Town.

Contact: Paddy Rock- Culchie Festival 087-2439760
Derbhla Wynne Irish Motor Neurone Association 01-8730422 

Visit www.imnda.ie - Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association
& www.alzheimer.ie for The Alzheimer Society Of Ireland

Back to Top

Calling all Paddy Reilly's This years Culchie Festival returns to Cavan and will take place in Ballyjamesduff from October 23rd -25th 

As part of our festival we would like to, pay tribute to Percy French who wrote the famous ballad “Come Back Paddy Reilly to  Ballyjamesduff” and we are setting out on a world wide search for Paddy Reilly's to return to or even visit for the first time this famous little hamlet. This will also allow old aquaintances to be renewed and may even establish new ones

So if you are a Paddy, Padraic, Paudie or Patrick Reilly we want you to come to Ballyjamesduff on Saturday 24th of October at 12 noon where we will register you for the big picture which will be taken at 3pm. If you are not one of the Reillys we seek you will still be most welcome in  Ballyjamesduff as part of our Festival Weekend which will run from October 23rd -25th

Back to Top

The Great Honda Step-Thru Run 2008 achieved new Irish Record with 481 Honda Step-Thru Bikes.

This years run takes place in Ballyjamesduff, Co.Cavan on Sunday, October 25th. Check in at Ballyjamesduff Mart is from 9 - 11.30am with run commencing at 12.30pm.

Back to Top