Siamsa Sraide

Siamsa Sraide Swinford

(Siamsa Sráide Summer Street Festival)

Sat 2 Aug 2008 – Wed 6 Aug 2008

Siamsa Sraide Swinford is a summer street festival with open-air Ceili, Dancing, Heritage Day and International Busking Competitions.  There are also history walks talks and poetry recital.

Contact Bríd O'Connell for further information.

Contact

Telephone: +353 (0)86 805 9172

Address: Swinford, Co Mayo, Republic Of Ireland.

Siamsa Sráide

The Swinford Siamsa Sraide street festival has an annual fixed date - it is always held on the Irish August Bank Holiday weekend since the mid 1980’s.  This year's (2008) festival will be held from Saturday 2nd August to Wednesday 6th August.

Swinford hosts one of the County's largest summer festivals, Siamsa Sraide Swinford (Fun in the Streets of Swinford).  This is a festival of Pageantry, Céili Dancing, and Heritage Displays depicting much of the traditions of East Mayo.

There is a huge interest in the busking competitions for this year and visitors can look forward to a variety of street entertainment. The prize fund is big and there will be category prizes to cater for different forms of street entertainment.

Contact Brid O’Connell, co-ordinator 086 8059172.

Siamsa Sraide Events

The organisers of Siamsa Sraide endeavoured to include events of a niche interest in each year's programme:

·         Aspects of our Mayo Song Heritage

·         Singing and Dancing in the Streets

·         Traditional Irish Songs

·         Historic walks and talk of Swinford

·         Local history books on Swinford's past

·         Poetry readings

Swinford County Mayo in the West of Ireland

Swinford is a bustling market-town, situated on the national road network N5, between Mayo's two largest towns, Castlebar and Ballina, on a tributary of the famous fishing River Moy.   It is made up of areas including Midfield, Meelick, Culmore, and Killasser among many others.  Swinford is a very dynamic business town only eight kilometres from Ireland West Airport Knock, formerly Horan International Airport, and 20 minutes drive from the Capital town in mayo, Castlebar.  Car Hire is available to book online at Knock Airport Ireland.  Swinford has a large range of quality services and activities in an unspoilt original landscape make it ideal for vacations and holiday makers.  Swinford is renowned for its fishing waters; in particular the Callow lakes which yield excellent brown trout; the river Moy, where Ireland’s favourite adopted son Jack Charlton, among many others, love to fish.  Swinford is also in close proximity to the great fishing lakes of Lough Conn, Lough Cullin and indeed Lough Mask.

Swinford Golf Club is an excellent nine-hole golf course, is one of Swinford's best features and is located in Brabazon Park, near the town centre.  The Brabazon landed gentry family had some responsibility for the founding of the town in the 18th century.  The Brabazon family originally came to Ireland from north Leicestershire in the later 16th century.  One of their number, Sir Anthony, Governor of Connaught, settled near Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, in 1597. His estate there was called Eastwell (still a townland name). Brabazon’s had another seat at Mowsley, south of Leicester, and a few miles south-west of this is a village named Swinford.

Pony trekking and nature walks are among the many activities open to the visitor, and in the evenings there is Irish traditional music in the town's bars and pubs.

A plethora of archaeological sites are within walking distance of the town, which is an excellent base from which to tour many of Mayo's visitor attractions including Knock Shrine to Our Lady Queen of Peace, Croagh Patrick, Ceide Fields, Westport and The Museum of Country Life at Turlough and the Foxford Woollen Mills.

During the festival a special day is devoted to Swinford's heritage, called "Beal Atha na Muice, Fado Fado", where visitors are invited to step back in time as shop fronts are changed and the vintage cars and many historical and heritage items are on display.

Siamsa Sraide provides entertainment for all the family and visitors will bring away many fond and lasting memories of their visit to this progressive business town.

Population

·         1,502 (2006)

·         1,497 (2002)

·         1,386 (1996)

Images Swinford

There are a number of organised 'walking trails' in the area including the 12 mile Logcurragh/Killasser walk, just north of the town. There are also guided walks around Swinford, and a guided tour of the Famine sites in the town, which includes the facade of Swinford Workhouse, a mass famine grave and a paupers' graveyard, from the same era.

Origin of the name 'Swinford', Gaelic name Béal Átha na Muice

Many theories exist as to how the town got its name.  Most people seem to think Swinford got its name from a fordable river which passes through the town and near which was previously held a great market for swine.

Like many Irish towns, its place-name has no importance or denotation unless written in the Gaelic or Irish language: "Béal Átha na Muice” – translated to English as “Mouth of the Ford of the Swine". Many disagree with this speculation, but it is somewhat romantic.    

Some hold sway that Swinford's Irish name, Béal Átha na Muice, was derived from 'a stone lying in the Swinford river immediately to the north of the bridge and resembling in form, a pigs back'.

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Book your accommodation in Swinford at the most economical rates available in the town at Quinns Bar
Call (094) 925 3510
From abroad dial 00 353 94 925 3510

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