Druids to welcome springtime in dramatic fashion on the streets

Druids of the Grove of Ana, Jan and Karen Tetteroo, who live in Glenflesk, prepare for the dramatic ceremonial ceremony to welcome springtime at the Wander Wild Festival in Killarney in March. Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

A HUGELY exciting new festival is to be held in Killarney this spring, it has been announced.

Ireland’s undisputed adventure capital is currently preparing to take a walk on the wild side with an innovative weekend celebration for outdoor enthusiasts, culture and food aficionados and energetic great escapers.

The Wander Wild Festival, from March 27-29 inclusive, will see the dark and dreary months of winter banished to distant memory as springtime is enthusiastically embraced with pageantry, fire, passion, drama, adventure and exhibitions.

Offering a great escape in the bustling Wild Atlantic Way gateway, with a contemporary and extensive programme of events, the town will come alive with an action-packed, full-on programme.

The inaugural Wander Wild Festival will offer an inside glimpse of what the real Killarney is all about with a springtime celebration of the great outdoors.

Author and storyteller Michael Harding will enthrall an audience in Killarney

A spectacular opening equinox parade through the streets will dramatically celebrate the death of winter and the birth of spring and the flickering flame of a new dawn will illuminate the town.

Super guest speakers lined up will include writer and storyteller Michael Harding who will explore rituals, the ocean, soul – and chest pain – while ultra-athlete Shane Finn, who completed 24 marathons in 24 days and cycled and ran across America in 36 days, will share his experiences with special guests in a live podcast.

Film will feature prominently throughout the festival with screenings of several highly regarded productions with a sustainability, adventure or real-life drama theme including The Lost Skytrain, a gripping documentary about the disappearance in 1943 of a WW2 Douglas C-47 plane that was later discovered, with the bodies of five men, by two local farmers on the McGillycuddy Reeks.

St Mary’s Church of Ireland and its grounds will be the focal point for many of the weekend evets and Festival Basecamp will be Café Du Parc in the Killarney Plaza Hotel.

The action-packed weekend will also feature great escape events such as guided mountain climbs, kayaking on the lakes, night nature walks and map and compass reading classes with a packed children’s programme focusing on the great outdoors.

For the more energetic there will be separate events to keep them challenged and busy with a park run and a Hardman 10k on the agenda.

Live music and entertainment will fill the streets and the public houses and visitors can sample an authentic taste of Killarney food and drink along the designated taster trails.
“The Wander Wild Festival is a really fantastic opportunity for people to get away for a few days, sample this awe-inspiring area and enjoy this spectacle of outdoor-related festival events,” said organising committee chairman Pat Chawke.

The four symbols in the Wander Wild Festival logo depict Mind, Park, Lake and Mountain with the guest as the centre-piece.

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