Apparently, summer is on the way.

Back in the day, our Celtic ancestors marked the first few days of May, Bealtaine, with a festival of celebrations and happily, it’s a tradition that the town of Killeagh has decided to continue across the May long weekend.

Running from May 3rd to 6th, the May Sunday Festival comprises a unique schedule of creative and fun events, workshops and activities for all ages, inspired by our Celtic roots.

Jill Appadoo, Leoni Fernando, Chloe Kiely and Fionn Hannigan look on as Celtic goddess Noelle Ní Riagáin prepares for Bealtaine,

Embracing nature, creativity and local history, free and subsidised events include Dawn Chorus Walks in the Woods, Here Comes the Sun! Morning Yoga, Cré Clay workshops, a Dogsercise adventure trails for dogs, Imagination Station, children’s art workshops, wreathmaking, music and dancing, yoga for kids and grown-ups and lots more fun for all the family.

“Bealtaine means the return of the light, and true to our Celtic roots, the May Sunday Festival kicks off with a Procession led by stilt walkers from Greywoods Arts to Glenbower Woods for the Fire-flame show,” said Jessica Bonenfant, Festival Organiser & Artistic Director at Greywood Arts in Killeagh.

Visit the new Seed Pavilion

“The new Seed Pavilion, a community co-designed pop-up gathering space and initiative to support the ecology of the woods, will be opened and the May Sunday celebrations will indeed begin. The community of Killeagh welcomes everyone to visit and experience a super schedule of events in the woods to welcome the arrival of summer.

Included in this year’s festival line-up, an installation “On the Forest Floor” will see Annie Tull’s multi-layered textile work with haunting depth and mystical whimsy exhibited in the woods, where the work was initially conceived. The piece has just returned from an exhibit in New York, and visitors to Glenbower Woods are invited to interact with the piece, pinning their experiences of the wood to this unique fabric.

Visitors will also enjoy a Meet the Maker fair, picnics and dancing in the woods, Seanchaí Yoga with children’s storytelling, live music in the village and the GAA Healthy Clubs Family Fun Day throughout the weekend.

A full schedule for the Killeagh May Sunday Festival is available at maysunday.ie.