Strawberry Fair – July 21st

fletch · 04-07-2013 8:36am #1

Just got an newsletter off Leo Varadkar and thought this would be of interest.

As part of our local contribution to The Gathering, the old traditional Strawberry Fair is being revived. It will be held on July 21st from 2pm to 6pm
. The Strawberry Beds road will be closed to traffic, giving families a unique opportunity to enjoy the stunning natural beauty of the area, which made it a holiday hotspot in simpler times. The significant cultural heritage of the area, dating back to the late 19th century, will be celebrated with walking tours, cycling, horse and cart trips, and jazz and traditional music along the route. There will be a Family Fun Picnic on the community field near the Wrens Nest, with music, face painting, dog show, balloons etc ... and of course strawberries and cream.

Cllr Kieran Dennison, chairman of the Blanchardstown Area Partnership which is organising the event, said ‘this is an old and unique festival in Dublin and I am delighted to see it back again for the Gathering. It promises to be a great day out for everyone.’ For more information see www.facebook.com/strawbfair

StrawDub · 05-07-2013 12:37pm

I remember going to this every year as a kid, great to see it back

dodzy · 06-07-2013 8:12am

And don't forget the fresh strawberries and cream will be there in abundance!

Raft rides on the day too (albeit, very limited places )

Brass band.

Jim Lacey ( candle in the window author ) will be doing walks also plus plenty of other activity. Ill post a flyer later on. If we get the weather, it could well be a great day.

Road closed from the straw hall up to the anglers ( 2pm - 6pm ). Access via rugged and sommerton. Car spaces also available in the castleknock hotel with a small shuttle bus planned. I'd say the anglers will be jammed.

dodzy · 09-07-2013 9:10am

Update on the Strawberry Fair.

Some aerial shots of the proposed location(s), diversionary route and poster.

dodzy · 16-07-2013 2:39pm

Just bumping this. Looking like the weather is good for the weekend. Could be a cracking day.

dodzy · 17-07-2013 2:31pm

Press release:

A terrific fun filled day is planned for all the family, with something for everyone! As part of the family picnic at the Community Field (bottom of Rugged Lane – by permission of the Strawberry Beds Community Centre), there will be performances from Al Kazam (magician), Blanchardstown Brass Band and Zumba, a family dog show including categories such as “cutest puppy” and “dog the judge would most like to take home”, balloons, face painting, ice cream, and of course plenty of strawberries supplied by Donnellys Fresh Food.
Down the road at the Strawberry Hall, there will be craft stalls, with a range of crafts and foods for sale, accompanied by strawberries and cream, and ice cream. Al Kazam and Blanchardstown Brass Band will both give another performance at this location, together with events for all age groups organised by Castleknock Hurling and Football Club. Trips on the river Liffey will start here, with River Rafts of Lucan organising a number of rafts to take people down river to Wrights Anglers Rest – a trip not to be missed!
Heritage walks, led by local historians, will take place along the closed road from Wrights Anglers Rest to the Strawberry Hall – this is a great opportunity to experience this beautiful location at its best. Along the road Sweny’s Readers Group will give readings from Finnegan’s Wake. There will also be traditional music during the afternoon, ice cream, and strawberries and cream.
The Strawberry Fair is being organised by Blanchardstown Area Partnership, and supported by Fingal County Council as part of the Gathering, together with Castleknock Hotel and Country Club, Wrights Anglers Rest, the Strawberry Beds Residents’ Association, the Strawberry Hall, Marks & Spencers and Fingal Volunteer Centre. Proceeds on the day to St Francis Hospice, Dublin 15.
As the programme may change, the following social media links will enable you to keep up to date with developments:
facebook.com/strawbfair twitter.com/strawbfair www.bap.ie/strawberry-fair

dodzy · 17-07-2013 2:32pm

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

COMMUNITY FIELD (bottom of Rugged Lane)
• 2.30 pm Zumba
• 3.00 pm Al Kazam (Magician)
• 3.40 pm Blanchardstown Brass Band
• 4.30 pm Family Dog Show
• All Day - face painting, balloons, ice cream, strawberries and cream
STRAWBERRY HALL
• 2.30 pm Blanchardstown Brass Band
• 3.30 pm River Raft trips on river Liffey
• 4.00 pm Al Kazam (Magician)
• All Day - Crafts, Puc Fáda, games (Castleknock FC)
WRIGHTS ANGLERS REST
• 2.30 pm Heritage Walks (on the half hour)
• 2-4 pm Traditional Music
• 3-5 pm Readings from Finnegan’s Wake
• All Day - ice cream, strawberries and cream
PARKING ON THE DAY
• Castleknock Hotel (100 spaces)
• Community Field (40 spaces)
• Strawberry Hall (30 spaces)
• Castleknock FC (50 spaces)

dodzy · 17-07-2013 2:40pm

More detail:

dodzy · 18-07-2013 2:39pm

website:
http://www.bap.ie/strawberry-fair

For the programme:
http://www.bap.ie/programme

For directions and parking.
http://www.bap.ie/getting-there

And for updates and information from our very own Straw Barry !

Like:
https://www.facebook.com/strawbfair

Follow:
https://twitter.com/strawbfair

fletch · 22-07-2013 9:13am

So did anybody go to this? How was it?

dodzy · 23-07-2013 2:18pm

fletch wrote: »

So did anybody go to this? How was it?

A great day had by all. We had some small logistical issues with disgruntled motorists coming in from the lucan end when they got to the Straw hall re: the closure.

Also, car park spaces were pushed to the MAX as expected at the hall due to space constraints and even down at the community field and at the Castleknock hotel.

Estimations of close to 1500 people in attendance. Weather was cracking. Made a good few quid for the hospice through strawberry sales proceeds. Magician was a big hit with the kids. Brass band were excellent. The raft trips from the hall to Anglers were very popular also.

A lot of people just chilling out on blankets, shootin the breeze, just relaxing.

I'm sure they all had a great day. We are receiving very good feedback from various sources.

JupiterKid · 23-07-2013 3:23pm

I would have gone to this except that I was on the Shannon at the weekend. Great to hear that this went so well and wasn't solely based on getting locked.

Hope this become an annual event.:)

dodzy · 23-07-2013 3:47pm

Yeah, quite possible that we will go again for next year. You would have enjoyed the day JK. That said, I'm sure Shannon was a delightful cross to bear, the weekend that was in it and all

amdublin · 23-07-2013 6:43pm

JupiterKid wrote: »

Great to hear that this went so well and wasn't solely based on getting locked.

Hope this become an annual event.:)

Omg it was so far from that type of event.

Mainly families imo - three generations in lots of cases.

Pat Dunne · 16-06-2014 6:30pm

Just wondering if there will be another Strawberry Fair this year?

A really enjoyable day last year.

donaghs · 26-06-2014 11:47am

sounds good. any update?

dodzy · 26-06-2014 1:01pm

Blanchardstown Area Partnership ran it last year but won't be doing the event this year. There's a lot of stuff going on in the organisation recently which would not have allowed the time / personnel required to set it up as it was months in the planning last year. T'would be great if it went ahead but looks unlikely.

Strawberry Fair – July 21st

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