Big crowd’s turned up last Friday evening in Kilbehenny to the kiddies’ fancy dress parade led by Pa Cronin of the Anglesboro Pipe Band.

“The inaugural soapbox race organised by Eon Mulcahy and Kevin Kearney caused great excitement,” Moss Fitzgerald told The Avondhu.

“We would like to extend a big thank you to the traffic management team, Garda personnel, the stewards, Liam Finn and Ned O’Brien for organising the bales and to our Community Employment Team who helped throughout the week. Thanks too to all who brought along their potatoes for the inter-townland potato judging and congratulations to Bat Duggan who was the winner,” Moss said.

The evening finished off with a large crowd turning up to hear Catherine and the Images Band in the new community centre.

AMERICAN WAKE

For the Village Evening on Saturday, people came along dressed up in the style of the time and to take part in the ‘American Wake’. They also got to taste baked potatoes with many purchasing a bag on their way home.

A big thank you to Scoil Na Tri Chontae Irish dancers, Kilshanna Music Studio and to Anthon who played the street music for the evening.

Families turned out in force on Sunday morning for the duck derby at the Mill River and also to welcome visitors home from Canada as part of The Gathering. The first duck past the line was sponsored by McGrath’s Post Office. The Festival was brought to a successful close with a monster bingo session that attracted a packed house.

MORE SPUDS

“Meanwhile the potato digging is still ongoing with enough potatoes for about two more weeks. Digging takes place again this Friday evening at 6pm and all are welcome to come along and help out at the picking,” Moss said.

Again the Kilbehenny Potato Festival Committee would like to thank Ned Condon and Martin Russell for the use of the Land; Tom Conway, Liam O’Callaghan, Denny Fitzgerald, Liam Lewis, Pat Slattery, Pat O’Connor and Liam Condon for the use of their machinery; Patsy Dalton for making the tea in the field at every potato dig and finally, Sandra Quinn and The Avondhu for the excellent advertising and of course, Amanda Slattery from Ballyhoura Development.

THANKS

Along with those mentioned above, the committee would like to thank each and every one who helped out in any way with this year’s week long festival. A big thank you to Joe Prendergast, Conor O’Brien and John Sherlock for organising the genealogy workshop, the Girl Guides group who organised the kiddies’ disco, the ICA for organising the American Tea Party, Mike for organising the line dancing, the face painters, Kieran Geary for supplying the bouncy castle, Dave Slattery with his pony and trap, Mike Kiely for supplying his lorry, the inter-townland potato and fancy dress judges and Tom O’Mahony who donated his beautiful piece of hand crafted furniture for the raffle.