MAGICAL MAY SUNDAY FESTIVAL IN EAST CORK LAUNCHES
Glenbower Woods Welcomes All Ages for Creative Festival & Art Trail Embracing Nature
Picture Clare Keogh
A celebration of summer’s arrival, the May Sunday Festival in East Cork is one of the most unique and magical Irish festivals. Taking place at Glenbower Woods since the 1830’s, this year’s May Sunday Festival & Art Trail runs from 29 April to 14 May 2023, with a packed programme of arts, crafts, nature and woodland activities. Organised by Greywood Arts in Killeagh, the May Sunday Festival focuses on nature and creativity for everyone.
An incredible Art Trail, a Dawn Chorus walk, Foraging talks, Dogsercise, May Bush making, Litter picking, a Family Fun Day, Sculpture in the Woods and Botanical Silk Printing are just some of the activities, suited to a wide variety of ages, taking place over a two week period of the magical May Sunday Festival & Art Trail 2023.
“Young or older, everyone is invited to explore nature and creativity together during this 2 week festival programme. From the Mór Artist Collective exhibition in the Coach House, Creative Workshops, Art Trail Tour, Open Air Music & Dance, A Snail’s Tale performance, the Arboreal Book Club and lots more, there’s so much to discover and enjoy here in Killeagh. This is a community festival dating back almost 200 years, and to this day, we welcome everyone to experience the magical Glenbower Woods.” said Jessica Bonenfant, Artistic Director at Greywood Arts Residency and Creative Hub in Killeagh.
A number of special community projects have been chosen for the May Sunday Art Trail, including a Batik Textile project by local people and Ukrainian refugees, Greywood Arts Youth Club people-powered slide film project, May Bush felting project with Kyle National School, Woolly Crafts and the general public and Paper Maché Orbs project by St. Fergal’s National Schools and Aoife Banville. The Art Trail Artists are Evegenya Maritroysan, Muireann Nic Caba, Martha Cashman and Jaki Coffey.
One of the most magical experiences in nature is the Dawn Chorus when a multitude of birds of many different species all sing together in harmony as morning breaks. With a few rare exceptions, birdsong is limited to the spring and early summer when birds are mating, so this May Sunday Festival is the ideal time to embrace this special morning event in Glenbower Woods.
Inspired by Medieval manuscripts, A Snail’s Tale is a Street Theatre performance and visual spectacle which tells an untold story of imaginary creatures from medieval art. Suitable for all ages, this show will be particularly popular with little people who may even get to ride the snails in the procession!
There is also great fun for dogs in the programme, as Dogsercise have organised adventure walks to make dog walking even more fun for your pets, with purposeful sniffing and scent trailing.
The May Sunday Festival & Art Trail is supported by the Arts Council Funding Festivals, Cork County Council and sponsored by Youghal Credit Union. To find out more and see a full programme for this magical May Sunday Festival running in East Cork, please visit www.maysunday.ie
