Mighty fun was had at Ballina Heritage Day
Pictured beside the Western People stand at Ballina Heritage Day were, from left: Cllr Michael Loftus, Mayo Co Council Director of Services Catherine McConnell, Cathaoirleach of Ballina Municipal District Cllr Annie May Reape, Head of Ballina Municipal District Anna Connor and Cllr Marie Therese Duffy. Picture: John O'Grady
Heritage Day filled the streets of Ballina with the sound of traditional music and the buzz of the town’s rich history. The North Mayo capital came together to celebrate the range of activities and rich cultural events that took place throughout the day. Ballina Heritage Day brought residents and visitors together to celebrate the local traditions that helped shape the town into what it is today, full of community spirit.
Heritage Day was held last Wednesday during the town’s Salmon Festival Week. Thousands of people walked the streets enjoying the various crafts, live music, fresh food and drinks stalls.
The Western People stall was in the heart of the town offering a special edition Heritage Day newspaper. The paper included pictures, articles and special memories of previous years so people could savour the day.
Lady of the Moy, Ciara Murray helped staff to sell hundreds of copies of the special edition, which has been published every year since the first Heritage Day in the early 1990s.
Other special highlights included the arts and craftsmanship that was showcased throughout the town. Astrid Alder is an artist and musician who was selling her handmade beef tallow ornaments. These hats, candles and firelighters are all hand carved from the fat of cow’s kidney.
This tallow is an extremely versatile substance used as a powerful rendering material to make leather and tools as it is considered waterproof. It was also extremely popular for cooking in Celtic times. As well as this, she makes her ‘surrealistic shamanic’ Irish art and postcards to remember the Celtic ways of life.
Astrid is a talented Irish Harp player, being one of only six in the country to play. She said the Irish harp is a unique instrument that requires different techniques to play. Astrid only wants to play this particular harp as this instrument sounds like ‘magic’ to her.
"Ringing the brass, silver and gold strings allows the harp to ring for two whole minutes," she explained, "and the only comparison to the sound is the Indian Sitah."
Her CD, ‘The Companions’, was also available on her stall.
The Ballina Textiles Group had ‘mighty fun’ at this year’s Heritage Day. The well-established group are dedicated to remembering their heritage by re-enacting the early 1900s. Their costumes in previous years have included nuns, nurses and old ladies with large ballroom skirts and hats. This year, the women brought a real-life cottage to the stage.
One of the women involved, Noreen Flanagan, emphasised that this year’s idea was completely last minute for them, but this didn’t stop them from making their space one to remember. The ladies wore old traditional maiden dresses and aprons while parading the town representing older Irish women of previous centuries in Ireland.
Their space was decorated with an antique 19th-century fireplace and kitchen. The old kettles and crockpots they used revived the atmosphere of an old-style cottage and brought to life the memories of our ancestors.
To get visitors involved Noreen allowed them to lie into an antique iron bed, role playing the traditional family dynamic. Women were based in the kitchen, while the men were out working the fields.
She expressed that it was "a lovely, great day" and they all "had an absolute ball". They really enjoyed dressing up to re-live the olden days of Irish life. As of now they "have no plan as to what next years can be" or "how they are ever going to top this idea".
