Following its win of the Pride of Place award for "best urban heritage village in Ireland" last year, Dublin city suburb Stoneybatter will host its first ever summer festival from June 23 - 25.
Pride of Place Chairperson, Joe Costello, explained that the purpose of the event is to promote "the rich history, heritage and strong community of Stoneybatter", but clarified that "the organizers are aware that Stoneybatter is one of many urban villages in Dublin and wish to extend a warm welcome to all Dubliners to come and join in [the] mid-summer celebrations."
According to The Dublin People, the festival will be inaugurated by a message from President Higgins on Friday June 23 before being officially launched by the city's Lord Mayor, Brendan Carr, on the same day.
Planned activities for the weekend include an open house day for local museums, art galleries and churches, with local restaurants and pubs offering specialised menus and music, as well as guided tours of Stoneybatter landmarks and a concert in Grangegorman. Father Ted fans can also look forward to cake and sandwich competitions judged by Pauline "Mrs. Doyle" McLynn alongside Anna Nolan of The Great Irish Bake Off.
All of the details and a full schedule of events can be found on http://www.stoneybatterfestival.ie.
