Castlerea Rose Festival was nominated for ‘Best Irish Festival’ in the All-Ireland Community and Council (LAMA) Awards last weekend in Dublin – and when news broke on Saturday night that the Rose Festival had actually won the award, social media was buzzing with messages of excitement and congratulations from Castlerea people both at home and abroad.
The Castlerea Rose Festival is the highlight of the year for the majority of the townsfolk. Castlerea people who live out of the county, even out of the country, often plan their holidays around it. It is a week on the calendar where friends and families come together to enjoy the summer evenings with great fun and entertainment.
The festival, which has been in existence for a number of decades, has grown in popularity each year with wonderful free events for the whole family to enjoy such as pig racing, live open-air music, treasure hunts, a family fun day, plus so much more.
The week-long festival culminates with the Rose of Castlerea selection evening, which has been held in the Trinity Arts Centre in recent years, where one of the ladies taking part is crowned The Rose of Castlerea.
The scale of the work that goes into getting the festival up and running each year is no secret around the town. The committee and volunteers dedicate countless hours to making sure the event goes ahead without a hitch.
Speaking about this great win to the Roscommon People this week, Susan Gaynor, Secretary of the Castlerea Rose Festival said: “Winning the Best Irish Festival Award at the LAMA Awards was an unexpected but delightful honour for the Castlerea Rose Festival.
“We’ve always believed in the magic of our festival, but this recognition is truly humbling and affirming. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated committee and volunteers, whose tireless efforts make this event possible year after year.
“This award is a testament to their hard work and the vibrant spirit of our community”.
Last year the Rose Festival broke the attendance record for any event in the history of the festival when over 3,000 people turned out on The Fairgreen in Castlerea to see The Tumbling Paddies perform. It was a wonderful night that proved how far the festival had come.
Local councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice attended the awards ceremony on Saturday evening on behalf of the Rose Festival along with Susan Gaynor, and when we spoke to him this week about the win he said: “Susan and I were delighted to attend the LAMA Awards. It was a great night in the Royal Convention Centre in Dublin. It was a tough category and we were up against stiff competition from the Brigid 1500 Festival from Kildare, Mallow Castle Festival from Cork, The Vintage Picnic Festival from Fingal and YuleFest from Kilkenny, so we were absolutely thrilled when we were announced as the winner on the night.
“We had great support from Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, Cllr John Keogh; Roscommon County Council CEO Shane Tiernan; Tourism Officer Lisa Joy, and other council members.
“It was a pity that tickets to these events are so limited but I was honoured to be there as one of the representatives of the Rose Festival”.
Cllr Fitzmaurice conclude by saying: “Most importantly, I have to say that the reason we won this award is due to the hard work and dedication of all our members and volunteers around the town that give their time so generously to make the festival a succuss each year, from fundraising to the stewarding at each event and all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. We wouldn’t have a festival without them”.
The Rose Festival takes place again this year with another wonderful line-up of events to be announced soon, so this award just solidifies the fact that it is indeed the ‘Best Festival in Ireland’.
