Gweedore hosts a week of music, sport and cultural activities at the inaugural Féile Gaoth Dobhair.
‘Gaelic Report’ is in County Donegal for the closing weekend of the Gaeltacht Festival, organised by the community in Gaoth Dobhair, who have joined forces with the GAA’s (Gaelic Athletic Association) Inter-Gaeltacht Gaelic Football Competition.
This corner of the Donegal Gaeltacht has all kinds of entertainment on offer. Saturday night saw brains being wracked and tough questions answered in Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair during a ‘Question Time’ style quiz, where the Kerry team emerged victorious.
An impressive parade on Sunday, with three marching bands and fifteen floats sponsored by local organisations and businesses, made its way from Bunbeg via Derrybeg to the playing fields at Magheragallon for the football tournament with where teams from each Gaeltacht battled it out for the honour of winning Corn na Gaeltachta cup.
In addition to a choice of céilís each night, the cabaret contest was also popular. Teams from the Gaeltachtaí of Cork, Donegal, Connemara and Rathcairn performed, with the latter taking home the laurels this evening.
Bringing the Gaeltacht communities together in a convivial atmosphere is what it’s all about, says festival chairman Seán Ó Colmáin, who is very pleased with both the standard on the GAA pitch and the success of all the social and cultural events,
Cloisfeá na canúintí agus na Gaelgeoirí ann as gach áit don tír agus bhíos fhéin lán-sásta le sin.
The final event of the festival was the Cailín Gaelach competition which took place in a packed Middletown Hall.
Young women from the Gaeltachtaí who had been selected by their communities had been interviewed earlier that day by the Cailín Gaelach committee and judged on their fluency of spoken Irish, involvement in social and cultural activities in their parish and community, and appearance and deportment.
Eighteen year old Bairbre Ní Mhealóid from Ráth Cairn is crowned the winner, and her prize includes clothes from the Cladyknit knitwear company’s latest collection.
The concluding event on Monday night was dinner and the presentation of Corn na Gaeltachta in Ostán Radharc an Eargail.
General Secretary of the GAA Seán Ó Síocháin expresses the hope that another Gaeltacht will take up the challenge next year. In his thanks to all involved in the planning and preparation and the community in Gaoth Dobhair, he said that an event such as this is unique, as
Tá rud mór, rud luachmhar do Éireann curtha ar bun agaibh.
‘Gaelic Report: Gaeltacht Festival’ was broadcast on 15 June 1970.