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Fair Maid of Fingal

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    #2
    Ivy Kickajones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭Ivy Kickajones


    Wasn't that some sort of Lovely Girls competition?


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    #3
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    Great festival when it was on but it just ran its course.

    If I remember correctly Orla Duff from Loughshinny was the first winner, she is still a lovely lady. I think it was a bit of a take off of the rose of Tralee. Around that time we also had the Skerries prawn festival and after that the Maybush festival in Rush and the Balbriggan breakaway.

    The Fairmaid had some good parts especially the Gaelic football and Tug o war. The football was brilliant, 7-a-side. It was hard going. Loughshinny had a brilliant team, Benny Rogan, Paul McCann, Larry McNally, Duzzer Rogan, the late Andrew O'Toole R.I.P aka "Toolers" a brilliant player, Martin "KITTER" Kavenagh, Tomas Ferguson and a few others. Maurs fielded a few teams but 1 was made up of Bollards, Christy, Malachy, John, Kelvin, Robin, Tommy, Dermot and the late Michael R.I.P along with Gazzer Devin a brilliant goalie. Michael, a very hansome and elegant young man was killed aged 22 along with his brother Martin, Paul Gilsenen and 2 girls from Balriggan in a crash at the Boyne Vally hotel. There was 5-a-side soccer also.

    There was plenty of novelty events also with a bucking boronco, Tossing the sheaf, running, pony rides and ten there were some good bands with the like of the Indians showband, the clowns(?), and local Bands like the Carricks and D.J. lLiam Matthews.

    I hope someone adds a few more bits as I was quite then and lets say the "Gargle has definatley dimmed my brain"


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    #4
    The Muppet
    Registered Users Posts: 14,003 ✭✭✭✭The Muppet


    I have vague memories of this. The competition was held in a Marquee in Loughshiney and the compere was Brian (Liam) Matthews of Community Radio Fingal (C.R.F.). I think he may have been part of the organising committee too.


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    #5
    Ivy Kickajones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭Ivy Kickajones


    North County Dublin's answer to the Rose, it was indeed, but we didn't take ourselves too seriously.
    I met the lovely Orla, she was one of the judges, a very classy lady. Yes, I have to 'fess up and admit to being one of the the Fair Maids!!!!! I can still remember being driven through the town on some sort of trailer - oh the glamour of it all. But what great memories, circa 1978 I do believe...


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    #6
    The Hill Billy
    Registered Users Posts: 22,749 ✭✭✭✭The Hill Billy


    Well, this pic would have been from the latter years of the competition as I recognise a few of the "maids" from the Holy Faith/De La.

    Fair-Maids_jpg.jpg

    I just LOVE the hair ladies! :D


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    #7
    Grolschevik
    Registered Users Posts: 3,472 ✭✭✭Grolschevik


    LeoB wrote: »
    Around that time we also had the Skerries prawn festival and after that the Maybush festival in Rush and the Balbriggan breakaway.

    Did these festivals elect Queens, like the Swords Festival, which I believe was a feeder route to the Fair Maid?


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    #8
    Frank Spencer
    Registered Users Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭Frank Spencer


    Hill Billy wrote: »
    Well, this pic would have been from the latter years of the competition as I recognise a few of the "maids" from the Holy Faith/De La.

    Pic snipped

    I just LOVE the hair ladies! :D

    That was the year Sinead O'Connor entered was it?!


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    #9
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    Frank Spencer wrote: »
    That was the year Sinead O'Connor entered was it?!

    Jeasus and here is me thinking some of them look a little like Leo Sayer, must go back to specsavers!!!


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    #10
    The Muppet
    Registered Users Posts: 14,003 ✭✭✭✭The Muppet


    LeoB wrote: »
    Jeasus and here is me thinking some of them look a little like Leo Sayer, must go back to specsavers!!!

    Are you Blind LeoB? Sineads no 5 from the left on the back row.:)


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    #11
    A.Partridge
    Registered Users Posts: 680 ✭✭✭A.Partridge


    Nobody has yet mentioned that the idea was based on a poem by a local man who lived near the cliffs at Drumanagh...Patrick Nicell.

    I recall Brendan Grace being asked to recite or sing the poem at one particular running of the event back in the 70's.

    Although Pat Nicell was dead a number of years before the festival started up I remember and knew his brother Michael Nicell, who was a gentleman.

    Maybe someone here might be able to unearth the original poem?


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    #12
    Unshelved
    Registered Users Posts: 864 ✭✭✭Unshelved


    RTE Sports Commentator Fred Cogley, who had a house in Loughshinny, judged for a couple of years. My mother was a judge once - I have no idea why.


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    #13
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    Unshelved wrote: »
    RTE Sports Commentator Fred Cogley, who had a house in Loughshinny, judged for a couple of years. My mother was a judge once - I have no idea why.

    Remember Fred's son Niall? Now a big shot is Sky?

    On the song/poem. Therre were a few songs from the area and I would say someone in the historical society would have a copy. I remember a programme on T.V years ago with Molly Devine singing a song "Shores of my lovely Loughshinny".

    Maybe someone reading this might try and start this festival again or one of the others.


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    #14
    Corsendonk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,871 ✭✭✭Corsendonk


    LeoB wrote: »
    Remember Fred's son Niall? Now a big shot is Sky?

    On the song/poem. Therre were a few songs from the area and I would say someone in the historical society would have a copy. I remember a programme on T.V years ago with Molly Devine singing a song "Shores of my lovely Loughshinny".

    Maybe someone reading this might try and start this festival again or one of the others.

    Correct me if I am wrong but it was Setanta as Chief Excutive but he has left this year.

    Back on Thread now, the festivals seem to have there heyday in the 70s-80s as a fight back against foreign holiday tourism. The holiday industry around Balbriggan, Skerries(Red Island) and Rush(Good old days) was pretty big in the 50s-60s but then Freddy Laker came along.


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    #15
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    Your bang on there with setanta.

    The Yacht bar used to be jammers with festival goers. The slope on the floor on the Marquee and going for a tumble when it was wet.
    Would be good to see some sort of revival but not sure how it would go down. The kids of the 70/80s might not be quite into the Marquee scene and the cost of bringing in a big showband would be prohibitive, that said the Marquee in Drumlish has made quite a comeback but then they have a host of showbands from Longford, Leitrim, Mayo & Westmeath

    Just thinking the Rush sea angling festival was quite big also.


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    #16
    Octopus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 200 ✭✭Octopus


    LeoB wrote: »
    Maybe someone reading this might try and start this festival again or one of the others.

    Balbriggn breakaway festival has been revived the last two years. It's run on a smaller scale and is called summerfest.
    There's an organising committe that put in a huge amount of work every year.
    They have all the old favourites, the duck derby, bartenders race.

    Glad its not like the old breakaway which ran for two weeks and the pubs served till 1:30am every night of the two weeks.
    Tough going!


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    #17
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    Octopus wrote: »
    the old favourites, the duck derby, bartenders race.

    Glad its not like the old breakaway which ran for two weeks and the pubs served till 1:30am every night of the two weeks.
    Tough going!

    Funny you say that I spoke to someone yesterday and they felt the late bar was a huge contributor to the demise, the focus came off family fun and onto bar extensions.

    Looking back it was tough going ok, the bar extensions that is. I actually dont drink now but there some serious sessions back then:P


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    #18
    minikin
    Registered Users Posts: 2,980 ✭✭✭minikin


    The Fair Maid of Fingal festival is back on this year - fundraisers are underway!


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    #19
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    minikin wrote: »
    The Fair Maid of Fingal festival is back on this year - fundraisers are underway!

    Could be on to a winner here. I wonder if this is because fewer people will take up foreign holidays due to recession?

    I think it could work but focus on the family not bar extensions.


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    #20
    briany
    Registered Users Posts: 13,560 ✭✭✭✭briany


    I remember being tiny and running around the tents of the festival and getting into general mischief.

    Will it still be held on the football pitch in Loughshinny? :P


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    #21
    minikin
    Registered Users Posts: 2,980 ✭✭✭minikin


    Could be on to a winner here. I wonder if this is because fewer people will take up foreign holidays due to recession?

    I think it could work but focus on the family not bar extensions.

    It's definitely going to be a family event - plenty of sports and entertainment planned according to the flyer. It's on in Loughshhinny around the end of July/start of August.

    Looks like it'll be good.


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    #22
    Duzzer
    Registered Users Posts: 201 ✭✭Duzzer


    I hope they dont put the tent up the top of the pitch near the houses in White Park. When I was a young lad I remember looking out the window and seeing junkies injecting themselves between the tent and the back of the houses. Good times!


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    #23
    The Scientician
    Registered Users Posts: 1,724 ✭✭✭The Scientician


    Where would I find the poem "Fair Maid Of Fingal"?


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    #24
    Patricknicell
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭Patricknicell


    I have acopy <snip>

    Mod note - no e-mails - use PM if interested. Thanks


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    #25
    ciaranplays77
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭ciaranplays77


    My Mam Is The Daugther Of Liam Matthews The Owner Of It, But He Past Away In 2017


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    #26
    The Muppet
    Registered Users Posts: 14,003 ✭✭✭✭The Muppet


    ciaranplays77 wrote: »
    My Mam Is The Daugther Of Liam Matthews The Owner Of It, But He Past Away In 2017

    Your Grandad was a lovely man and a very talented broadcaster. A true Gentlman.


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    #27
    LeoB
    Registered Users Posts: 4,254 ✭✭✭LeoB


    ciaranplays77 wrote: »
    My Mam Is The Daugther Of Liam Matthews The Owner Of It, But He Past Away In 2017

    Liam was great. Went to plenty of of his gigs back in the day and he played a few for me in St. Maurs when I was helping with teenage discos.


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