TIME TO CROWN THE REAL QUEEN
It’s that time of the year again when retiring queen Olive Palmer prepares to hand over her crown to the new incumbent in waiting and the people of Mitchelstown get ready for the Festival of the Galtees.
Mitchelstown and the surrounding areas have enjoyed a bank holiday packed with family fun for the last 36 years, and this festival is promising to be one of the best yet.
“Everything is ready to go and all the hard work over the last few months is about to pay off,” committee chairman, Michael White said this week.
“We have all our usual festival events like the baby show followed by the teddy bears and the doll show. There will be plenty of music also, of course, with Just Tim, The Galtee Stompers and Oliver and Tony.”
“The Fitzgerald Memorial Brass Band, the Liam Lynch Pipe Band and Thomas Kent Pipe Band will also be on hand to ensure that we have the best music around. We will have a children’s fancy dress parade and there is of course no shortage of contestants for the ‘Culchie of the Festival’ competition,” Mr White told The Avondhu.
Festival highlight The highlight of the Festival of the Galtees, the crowning of the new queen, will take place on Sunday night. Contestants, Bernie Creed and Phila Murphy, have been on the campaign trail over the last months in what must be the most democratic method of appointing royalty in Europe if not the world.
“Bernie and Phila have shown great community spirit and I want to wish them both all the best for Sunday night. The contestants have found it hard going in these recessionary time but they have both done the people of Mitchelstown proud.
"The people of Mitchelstown have raised a substantial amount of money to support and maintain our sheltered housing centre, Tearmann Ui Chaoimh, and I want to thank everybody for all their support over the last 36 years.
"I also want to thank the Mitchelstown business community who has once again rallied behind the effort with their sponsorship of the Festival of the Galtees. We have a fantastic e vent lined up again this year and we look forward to seeing you all in Mitchelstown this weekend,” Michael White concluded.
The Festival of the Galtees gets underway on this Friday, June 3 and continues until Monday, June 6.
Published:
Thursday 2nd June 6:55pm
