Those who attended last Sunday's very enjoyable gala day in Ballyduff Community Field were treated to 'all kinds of everything'.
There was a great spread of activities and it was refreshing to see so many homegrown offerings. Examples of which included a traditional Irish homestead complete with open fire, crane and stack of turf. The public were also treated to old style cooking courtesy of the bastable and for the more adventurous there was the chance to sample some freshly prepared crubeens.

The Ahern family were very well represented with Bridie and Abina Ahern giving a demonstration of knitting and darning while Con knocked out the tunes on his accordion. There was also plenty in the way of wholesome produce at the stalls in Ballyduff Millennium Hall which is adjacent to the community field.  Con Ahern had some friendly competition from Michael McCarthy and his fellow musicians who comprise the Bride Valley Band who once again put on a great show.
Fermoy Search and Rescue member, Noel Hayes brought along some creatures from the deep which young people found fascinating and there was also a display of animals from Araglin Animal Sanctuary. Ballysaggart native, Anthony Brackett brought along his king-sized draughts board which is always in demand and keeping up with the times, he also unveiled his new 'Cube' challenge which proved very popular.
Pony rides, obstacle course, dog show, tug of war and fire brigade demonstration, sheaf throwing and the wheel of fortune were all laid on for the benefit of the public.
Friday night last was all about Crystal Swing who got a wonderful reception when they performed in St Michael's Hall. While they may have made it big, this family trio have never forgotten their roots and they were very generous with their time following the dance. Loose Cannons were the big attraction on Saturday night and things ended on a high on Sunday night when Mike Rourke played for the festival dance.
This is only a flavour of what went on over the last week and in truth, every event was a success in its own way. Like so many other festivals, there's a huge amount of work required and Ballyduff are fortunate to have willing and reliable volunteers who never let the side down. Everyone pulled together for the 10 days and the result was an event that all the family could, and did, enjoy.

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