Lifestyle – Trails Festival puts the focus on Oughterard’s scenery, history and wildlife. Judy Murphy hears how a neglected area intends to put itself on the tourist map.
“I wanted to organise a festival that my family would enjoy,” says Sinead Grimes of Discover Oughterard about the upcoming Trails Festival which will take place in and around Oughterard next weekend, June 23-25.
Discover Oughterard is the voluntary group behind this festival, which is now in its second year and the organisers have indeed programmed an event that’s ideal for families as well as for people who want something more challenging.
It kicks off next Friday with the Inchagoill Island Trail, a one-hour guided walk on the historic island, led by Coillte’s Environmental Officer, Sean Quealy. The boat to Inchagoill, captained by David Luskin, will leave Oughterard Pier at 6.30pm and the cost is €15 per adult and €5 per child, all inclusive.
Other villages have food festivals, history festivals and or walking festivals but the Oughterard Trails Festival brings these strands together, says Sinead.
That makes sense as it’s a scenic area, rich in history and wildlife. However, Oughterard has an issue when it comes to attracting visitors, as people tend to simply pass through the village on their way to North Connemara.
“It’s a hidden gem and once people realise what’s there, they’ll keep coming back,” she believes.
Originally from Castlebar, Sinead has lived in Oughterard for 14 years. The mother of two works in IT, and idea for this festival evolved from her own experience growing up in Mayo.
The annual Castlebar Walking Festival, which was set up in 1967, is an annual fixture and attracts people from all over the world. Sinead felt something similar would work in Oughterard and the Discover Oughterard Group got on board to run it.
The 2017 Oughterard Trails Festival will run from Friday to Sunday, with the Inchagoill outing on Friday, followed by three events on Saturday and two on Sunday. The organisers have gone for quality over quantity, as Sinead feels it’s important that the festival finds it feet before growing.
“I want to get it right before we get bigger,” she explains.
Last year, the organisers’ aim with the Festival was to give people “a good experience at a good price”. That’s still important and the pricing is excellent – but more of that later.
While walking is growing in popularity as a pastime, the Discover Oughterard group felt they could offer participants something extra.
“You mightn’t be into walking but you might be into photography and we have Mick Bourke giving a walk on Saturday” says Sinead.
The award-winning photographer and member of Galway Camera Club will be giving tips on composition, lighting and location as the group visits various places in the locality via a car-pooling arrangement. That walk, Photography with Mick Bourke, is listed as being Grade C.
There are three levels of walks in the Festival – Level A outings are for experienced walkers; B are for people of average fitness and C are suitable for all the family.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
