Bree in Co Wexford may be a small village, but there’s no lack of community spirit. Cathal Byrne describes how his hometown is celebrating the year of The Gathering.
“Bree has a population of 1,000 people. Through the Bree Harvest Festival we hope to bring many people home and entertain everyone in the parish. Our Gathering runs the weekend of 13 to 15 September.
“Events start on Friday at 11am with a floral exhibition at St John’s Church in Clonmore, which is one of our main attractions. Many gardeners from the parish will exhibit their own arrangements and it’s going to be a beautiful spectacle. Admission to view the exhibition is €8 and includes refreshments.
“Later on that evening, past pupils of Bree, Galbally and Ballyhogue national schools reunite in Bree Hall, and St Aidan’s church hosts a choral recital in aid of local charities. The day concludes with a trad night, which is open to all musicians and storytellers in the festival marquee.
“On Saturday, Colin Moriarty will lead guided tours of the area, taking in Macmine Castle and the dolmens. Other events include a GAA challenge match between the infamous Galbally Farmers and Ballyhogue, and a barn dance in the marquee that night with music by The Colonials.
“Irish dancing is popular in Bree, so we have a competition called Dancer and Chancers on Sunday. A local dancer will pair up with a ‘chancer’ nominated by a local group. The person, or best chancer, with the most donations wins, with any money collected going to their organisation. We’ll also have an ecumenical service in St John’s Church.
“So many people in the community have given a hand in organising all the events, with a core committee of 20, but up to 100 volunteers behind the scenes. As it’s the year of The Gathering, we had a great excuse to finally run a festival.
“I’ve been living in Bree all my life and there’s never been such excitement in the parish, especially as we draw closer to the weekend. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again next year.”
– In conversation
with Aisling Hussey
Bree in Co Wexford may be a small village, but there’s no lack of community spirit. Cathal Byrne describes how his hometown is celebrating the year of The Gathering.
“Bree has a population of 1,000 people. Through the Bree Harvest Festival we hope to bring many people home and entertain everyone in the parish. Our Gathering runs the weekend of 13 to 15 September.
“Events start on Friday at 11am with a floral exhibition at St John’s Church in Clonmore, which is one of our main attractions. Many gardeners from the parish will exhibit their own arrangements and it’s going to be a beautiful spectacle. Admission to view the exhibition is €8 and includes refreshments.
“Later on that evening, past pupils of Bree, Galbally and Ballyhogue national schools reunite in Bree Hall, and St Aidan’s church hosts a choral recital in aid of local charities. The day concludes with a trad night, which is open to all musicians and storytellers in the festival marquee.
“On Saturday, Colin Moriarty will lead guided tours of the area, taking in Macmine Castle and the dolmens. Other events include a GAA challenge match between the infamous Galbally Farmers and Ballyhogue, and a barn dance in the marquee that night with music by The Colonials.
“Irish dancing is popular in Bree, so we have a competition called Dancer and Chancers on Sunday. A local dancer will pair up with a ‘chancer’ nominated by a local group. The person, or best chancer, with the most donations wins, with any money collected going to their organisation. We’ll also have an ecumenical service in St John’s Church.
“So many people in the community have given a hand in organising all the events, with a core committee of 20, but up to 100 volunteers behind the scenes. As it’s the year of The Gathering, we had a great excuse to finally run a festival.
“I’ve been living in Bree all my life and there’s never been such excitement in the parish, especially as we draw closer to the weekend. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again next year.”
– In conversation
with Aisling Hussey
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