Following  last years Knitting World Record Success, one of this years highlights will be an attempt to set a new World Record.  HAND SHEEP SHEARERS from all over Ireland and possibly further afield, will gather in Roscommon on Sunday May 6th to create a World Record for the biggest group of hand shearers, shearing  simultaenously.  Full details including entry will be available soon, so watch this space.

A big thank you to everyone that came to Roscommon Lamb Festival 2011.
The festival drew to close on Bank Holiday Monday as a fantastic success once again. Family fun and world records were the highlights of the weekend which saw over 30 events taking place throughout the county and town with nearly 10,000 visitors over the course of the festival.
One of the main highlights was the World Record Attempt in Dr Hyde Park on Saturday.  Whilst the county football team were beating New York in the USA – 1147 knitters took to the stands in Roscommon to blow the current world record out of the water! Knitters from 7 years old – 100 years old participated in an historic occasion for Roscommon and Ireland. Michelle Fallon, organiser from the Roscommon Lamb Festival committee was ecstatic about the acheivement “I am so delighted that all these people came to Roscommon to help the festival break the record. From the bottom of my heart thank you to all who made the effort and put us on the map!” After the joy in the Hyde, visitors were treated to Irish performances in the Festival Marquee from the students of Gaelscoli da hÍde.  That night saw a record 400 people attend the BBQ Brazilian & Irlanda in the festival marquee on the Square, and a fantastic buzz and atmosphere was kept going with music by Def Con 5 during and after.
The Family Fun Sunday in Loughnaneane Park was a fantastic success with sheep racing, Ballet performances, Global Food Village, pony rides, the Army Band No 1, Medieval Re-enactments in Roscommon Castle, Little Bo Peep & Boy Blue & Pet Lamb competitions, facepainting and food stalls around the park.  This was accompanied by the Wool Craft Village in the Festival Marquee where interactive, knitting & weaving, spinning, wool dyeing, felting and shearing demonstrations took place. Between both events and the glorious weather, Roscommon Town was buzzing with excitement on the day! Over the course of the weekend, Roscommon County Enterprise Board sponsored an additional Roscommon Craft Village on the square which showcased the talents of different craftspeople from around the county.
The festival is a celebration family fun, great food, art, music, farming, heritage, crafts and community spirit in County Roscommon. There was something for everyone over the 5 days with heritage tours highlighting the beauty, culture and historic diversity in County Roscommon including; a guided tour of Scregg House, Knockcroghery,  a Sheep Farm Walk with an Ecological talk in Four Roads, guided tours of St. Johns Wood, Lecarrow, Rathcroghan Royal Complex, Tulsk and Castlecoote House, Castlecoote, the Dominican Abbey in Roscommon Town and a walking tour of historic Elphin.
The festival kicked off on Wednesday with a special sheep sale in Roscommon Mart and was opened by Mairead Lavery, editor of Irish Country Living and former chairperson of Agri Aware.Farming was a big aspect over the weekend with many farm related events taking place including sheep farm walks, International Sheepdog Trials and Shearing demonstrations.
The arts were also celebrated over the course of the festival with an art exhibition which was opened on Thursday night by Deputy Luke Flanagan and showcased the works of over 20 artists over the weekend. The Teen Fashion Expo on Friday night highlighted the young talent in the county, this was followed by the Friday Night at the Movies in the Festival Marquee, organised by the Roscommon Cinema Committee.
Food was a major part of the weekend and acitivities also took place to work off the lamb and treats visitors consumed with a family cycle and kayak event in Portrun on Sunday morning. The Roscommon Carer’s mini marathon rounded off the festival on Bank Holiday Monday.

Chairperson of the festival Gerry Browne commented “ This year’s festival is a testament to the hard work put in over the last few months by the committee. I would like to thank everybody involved for their commitment in bringing a world class festival to Roscommon. We have so much to be proud of in our county and the Roscommon Lamb Festival tries to highlight everything that our great county has to offer. I personally want to thank the committee, and everybody involved which is entirely voluntary. Their time is greatly appreciated. Roscommon Lamb Festival is not for profit so we appreciate the fantastic support from our sponsors, funders and media partners. If it wasn’t for their generosity, the festival couldn’t take place.  I am also overwhelmed with the support and turnout of the visitors to Roscommon over the weekend. Tourism is an important element of our county’s future and we need more events like this to bring people to the county”  Roscommon Lamb Festival is funded by Roscommon Integrated Development Company, Roscommon County Council, Failte Ireland and Roscommon County Enterprise Board as well as local businesses and farm organisations.Visit www.facebook.com/roscommonlambfestival to see all the photos from the weekend.

Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) were recently announced as the supported charity of choice for the Roscommon
Lamb Festival 2011, which takes place on the May bank holiday weekend from Wednesday 27^th April to Monday 2^nd May. The festival which is now in its fourth year is a celebration of family fun, great food, farming, crafts, heritage and community spirit in County Roscommon. Members of IWA will be participating in many of the events which take place over the six days, including the attempt to break the world record for the largest group of knitters in one place.

Over 1000 knitters are required to knit simultaneously for 15 minutes in order to beat the current record. All items created during this time will be donated to IWA’s Resource and Outreach Centre (ROC) located in Roscommon. Members of IWA Roscommon will then transform all knitted squares into cushion covers, scarves, blankets and tea cosies and sell them from their Resource and Outreach centre (ROC). In addition IWA volunteers will be selling raffle tickets for the Associations’ annual Super Ford Focus Car Draw and all proceeds raised during the festival will be used to purchase a new accessible bus to enable IWA members to access services throughout Roscommon.

Angela Gavigan, IWA Roscommon, explained the significance of this partnership for IWA:
“We are delighted to be part of this years’ Roscommon Lamb Festival and to be selected as charity of choice for 2011. IWA will benefit greatly from a partnership with the largest festival in Roscommon. I would like to thank the festival committee who have kindly agreed to support the services the Association provides to people with disabilities living in Roscommon. This is also an excellent opportunity for IWA to showcase the supports the Association provides throughout the county.”

IWA has a large presence in Roscommon providing supported holidays from IWA’s national holiday centre Cuisle, which is located within the 50 acre site of Donamon Castle. The Association which has 20,000 members also operates day centre services from the Roscommon Resource and Outreach Centre which is also situated at Cuisle.

Commenting on the announcement of the new partnership, chairperson of the Roscommon Lamb Festival, Gerry Browne said: “We are delighted to be affiliated with IWA, the designated charity for the Roscommon Lamb Festival 2011. We are urging people to support their fundraising efforts and purchase a €2 raffle ticket for the Associations’ Car Draw.

It is fitting that IWA has been designated charity of choice for this years’ festival, as the Association has a significant presence in the county, with both Cuisle the national holiday centre and the Roscommon Resource and Outreach centre based at Donamon Castle, from which essential services are provided to people with physical disabilities.”

The Roscommon Lamb Festival 2011 Event Guide is now published and available in  hotels, shops, pubs and restaurants all over the county. This year’s guide is a handy pocket size and includes all the events taking place over the weekend (as if our site doesn’t tell you enough!) Also included is a great reference map to see where everything is taking place.

You can download the guide by clicking the links below.

Download Event Guide

Download Event Map

A sales & showcase event to celebrate the Year of Craft

The Roscommon Lamb Festival attracts huge numbers to Roscommon Town and this year promises to exceed all previous records.  To celebrate the Crafts Council of Ireland’s Year of Craft initiative, Roscommon County Enterprise Board (and supported by RIDC and Roscommon County Council) wish to invite Roscommon based craft entrepreneurs to participate in a high profile showcase event that will give you the opportunity to exhibit and sale your work to the public.

The event will also be the first step in providing other sales and marketing opportunities for Roscommon craft businesses which will be announced in the near future.

A dedicated Marquee in The Square, Roscommon Town will showcase the work.  And best of all ……

THIS IS A COMPLETELY FREE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU

Each participant will be encouraged to contribute to a programme of demonstrations and Meet the Maker talks and events.

TO GET INVOLVED, you need to complete the attached EXPRESSION OF INTEREST form and return by Monday April 4^th.

Quality is an important pre-requisite for this event so you are asked to submit images of your work as part of your submission which will be assessed by an independent panel for inclusion.

>>DOWNLOAD FORM HERE!<<

The 4th Roscommon Lamb Festival was launched last Wednesday night to a packed JJ Harlow’s in Roscommon Town, special guest was Kevin McGarry from North Roscommon. MC for the night was Gerry Fallon treasurer, with Mr Gerry Browne chairperson of the festival- first to speak and he warmly welcomed all present. Mr Browne noted that the RLF is now a firmly established celebration of all that is best in County Roscommon, stating that it is primarily a food festival which emphasises the high quality and healthy nature of grass fed livestock. Mr Browne pointed out that these facts are a marketing advantage for our farmers. He then went on to outline the broad nature of the festival programme which embraces farm, food, heritage, ecology, arts, crafts, and more in a schedule of events which will take place not only in Roscommon town but also including St John’s Wood, Knockcroghery , Rathcroghan, Castlecoote and Four Roads. Roscommon Town is again the focal point with an attractive line up of food, culture and family orientated celebrations.

The highlight of the festival this year is a World Record Attempt to have the most knitters in one place, the brainchild of Michelle Fallon who has put her heart and soul into making this a major talking point in Co. Roscommon and also all over the country. We need 1000 knitters, knitting together for 15 minutes. Thanks to the County Board and Roscommon Gaels this attempt will be in the stand at Dr Hyde Park on Saturday 30th April at 1pm. It is a daunting task but one which Michelle and her craft committee have taken on with enthusiasm, energy and amazing creativity. Mr Browne urged everyone to contact all their relatives and friends to come to Roscommon for this event and help us to achieve a place in the Guinness Book of Records. The current world record stands at 937 and is held by a group in Portland, Oregon USA. There was a large group of knitters present on the night and they created a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere in the pub as they knitted and chatted.

The other events in town include the Art Exhibition and Mr Browne pointed out the importance of artists in the community and how vital it is to listen to what they are telling us, as they give us their interpretation of our lives and times.

The Farmers Market will feature the best in farm produce from the region and will include a demonstration of barbecuing techniques from the Brazilian tradition courtesy of Geraldo Marques also known as Toko. There will be a Craft Fair organised by the Enterprise Board which will be in an additional marquee on the square for the weekend, where crafts from around the county will be displayed.

The Teenage Fashion Expo will feature on Friday night and give expression to the creativity, energy and enthusiasm of our young people. This will be followed by “Friday Night at the Movies” in the marquee courtesy of Robbie Dwyer and Paul Kane of the “Roscommon Cinema Committee”. Farm and heritage walks take place throughout the festival and food samples will be available at all these events.

“Ceiliuradh Gaeilge” a range of Irish language performances by the students of Gael Scoil de hÍde will be held in the Marquee on Saturday afternoon.

The very popular Brazilian Barbeque will take place on Saturday night and Mr Browne pointed out that having used 15 full lambs last year the committee is expecting to need up to 25 lambs this year due to increased numbers of visitors to the town.

Sunday will start off with All day International Sheep Dog Trials – held in Walsh’s Field, Racecourse Road, Roscommon Town. Sunday morning will also feature a family cycling tour of 20km and a Kayaking demonstration in Portrun. We then see the Wool Craft Village in the Marquee will all aspects of wool craft being demonstrated from shearing to spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and felt making. Meanwhile the “Family Fun Day” in the town park will be in full swing with the Army Band, Sheep Racing, Medieval Re-enactments, Bo Peep, Boy Blue Fancy Dress & Pet Lamb Competitions, Pony Rides, Old Street games for children and much more. The Global Kitchen event is back by popular demand after a hiatus in 2010. This will feature up to ten different ethnic groups offering samples of lamb based dishes as cooked in India, Middle East, Somalia, Eastern Europe, France and Brazil. It promises to be a colourful and mouth watering attraction. Sunday night will see entertainment in the Marquee and Pub Gigs all over town.

On Monday there is a guided tour of the historic town of old Elphin at 2pm. The Carers Marathon will bring the festival to a close and Mr Browne urged everyone to support this cause which is of such benefit to so many unsung heroes who look after people in need of full time care. Mr Browne also announced that the Irish Wheelchair Association is the nominated charity of the festival this year and they will be selling tickets @ €2 in the square for a car that will be raffled later in the year. Funds raised will go towards a wheelchair accessible bus which is badly needed locally in Roscommon.

Moving on to funding Mr Browne stated that the financial situation of the festival had improved since last year when the committee were faced with a €10,000 deficit. This has now been reduced to a more manageable level of €2,000 and he thanked the friends and sponsors for their support. The RIDC, Roscommon County Council, The County enterprise Board, Bord Failte, Bord Bia were all important funding agencies who supported the festival. He also warmly thanked the sheep farmers of Roscommon who had sponsored lambs and bought raffle tickets. He was delighted to note that farm prices have risen a little and looked forward to continued support this year from the farming sector. Businesses and individuals from Roscommon Town and county were also thanked for their generous support in what are difficult times for many people. Noting that the festival had the capacity to attract serious positive interest in what we have to offer tourists and visitors, Mr Browne expressed the view that the money spent on the festival was a good investment in the future of our country and its people. He finished by inviting more people to be involved on the committee and as volunteers during the festival itself. He then thanked Caitlin McConn and Brian Mugan of JJ’S for providing such a suitable venue for the launch.

Mr Browne was followed by Ms Una Quinn of Roscommon County Council and Mr. Michael Spellman chairperson of RIDC both of whom expressed their continued support for the Roscommon Lamb Festival. Mr Fallon then introduced Kevin Mc Garry as the guest speaker to officially launch the festival. Mr McGarry, a young man from North Roscommon, who suffered very serious injuries in a farm accident in New Zealand in 2007, then took the microphone. Recounting briefly how he had been involved in a motor bike accident n the farm where he was working, he became trapped under the vehicle which then went on fire. Mr McGarry said that the accident resulted in him having to face life without the use of his legs which were amputated above the knee. A prolonged recovery period followed involving skin grafts and painful rehabilitation. At first he could not even turn in the bed and so for a week had to concentrate on that simple movement. The next task was learning to sit up. He persevered with rehab taking each day and each task a little bit at a time. He does not consider himself a hero but he urged anyone who was facing difficulty in life not to tackle the seemingly huge obstacles first but to concentrate on the immediate day to day priorities which will then add up to massive achievements over time. He returned to Ireland in September 2010, 3 years after his accident. He walked through Dublin Airport on his prosthetic legs and is now leading a full life, farming and driving and making the most of every day. He regretted that he would not be around for the festival as he hoped to be cheering on The Rossies in New York that weekend. Mr McGarry then launched the festival and wished it every success. Finally, Mr. Mc Garry was presented with two pewter goblets which depict scenes from Ireland’s heroic past, namely Brian Boru at Clontarf and Queen Maeve and her famous bull at Rathcroghan. Mr Browne described Mr. McGarry as a true hero of our time and an inspirational figure whose example should be an encouragement to anyone who was in trouble of any sort.

This finished the formal proceedings and the guests then enjoyed the beautiful locally produced food on offer which included air dried lamb, sheeps’ cheese, lambs’ liver pate, lamb sausages and boxty. The committee wish to thank Sarah Browne for preparing the food and Castlemine Farm for sponsoring the sausages.

What better way to spend a few hours than exploring the Roscommon Countryside on your bicycle. Join us on a 20k cycle route which will take us through a series of quiet country roads taking in all the natural amenities that are there to be enjoyed by all. The terrain of the local landscape throughout the circuit is generally flat with occasional stretches of gently sloping hills which take the cyclist through a varied countryside of farmland, bog, forest, wetlands, rivers and lakes. Cyclists will experience the rugged bogland scenery of Kilteevan, the beauty of Lough Ree and sense the magnificence of the River Shannon and pass through the picturesque forests of Mote Park. The Cycle will start from the Square in Roscommon @ 11 am passing through Kilteevan and stopping for refreshments in Portrun before returning to Roscommon via Mote Park.

INVITATION TO LAMB FESTIVAL EXHIBITION OF VISUAL ART

An exhibition of visual art will take place from Thursday 28th April to Sunday 1st May as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival at the Old AIB Bank Church St. Roscommon (upstairs over Future Flowers). The exhibition is organised by artists Honor Fitzgerald and Noel Molloy and includes artists Fran Crowe, Gillian Gannon, Kristey Verenga, Angie Duignan, Katie Browne, Annette Gaffney, Margo McNulty, Ann Rigney, Joe Cunniffe, Dympna Molloy, Ros Art, Mantua Art, Siobhan Carlos, Lorna Brennan, Martha Lynn, Maree Bannon, Joanne Hughes, Nollaig Molloy, Niamh Molloy. Bob Attenbury, Joan Attenbury, Clair Attenbury, Ian Marks, Micheal J. Farrell, Frances Mc Gonigal, Stephanie Cuddy, Honor Fitzgerald, Noel Molloy working in Roscommon.
You are invited to attend the opening reception on Thursday 28th April at 8.00 pm, opening by TBC.
Refreshments will be served.

New to the Lamb Festival this year is the Wool Craft Village which will take place in the Festival Marquee on the Square. There will be much to see and do, exhibitors selling specialist supplies for all your knitting needs, sheep shearing demonstrations, an interactive knitting circle and numerous demonstrations from leading artists and groups to introduce you to lots of new techniques with wool.

Highlights of the Wool Craft Village include:

• Wool Village Market with experts selling all types of wool, patterns & pattern books, needles & accessories for all your knitting/crochet needs.

• Demonstrations in feltmaking, weaving, knitting, natural dyeing of wool and crochet throughout the afternoon.

• A group of spinners spinning the freshly sheared wool for knitting and you will have the opportunity to join in and learn how to spin yourself.

• Members of the Roscommon knitting circle, The Cast Offs, will form a large knitting circle which you can join in on. Some wool and needles will be available but if you have any of your own be sure to cast on and come along! We hope to have enough knitted/crocheted squares to stitch together and display at the end of the festival.

• Fibre Artist Fran Crowe will demonstrate her tapestry weaving and also natural dyeing of wool.

• Merrove Guiren will be running an interactive weaving demonstration.