Sligo Folk Park

John Taylor presents a gift to Kathleen Sweeney on her retirement from Sligo Folk Park. Kathleen has worked in the accounts dept. for the past decade. We thank her for her commitment and wish her happiness in the years ahead.

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Radio Advert 2013 Vintage

Riverstown Co Sligo: the little village with the big community.

Festival Fever has hit the beautiful village of Riverstown Co. Sligo this year with four major festival type events taking place over the summer.

Starting on the June Bank Holiday Weekend,

• Riverstown Vintage Festival takes place on Saturday 1^st June.
• County Sligo Fleadh from Friday May 31^st to Sunday June 2^nd.
• The Sligo Agricultural Show takes place on Saturday July 20^th 2013.
• The James Morrison Traditional Music Festival takes place from August 2^nd to 4^th

About Riverstown

Click to see images of Vintage Day 2012

The Village of Riverstown is located just off the main Sligo to Dublin Road at Drumfin. It is a small village situated between two rivers, the Unshin and the Douglas. The locals often describe the village as a ‘village of two’ – two schools, two churches, two halls, two rivers. The village has a population of approximately 250.

It is a small but busy community with a post office, grocery shop, connacht gold stores, 2 butchers, a take away, hairdressers, photo studio, a number of guest houses, a pharmacy, doctors surgery, garda station and three pubs. Riverstown is very fortunate to have an excellent second level vocational school at Coola, just outside the village. The area falls in to the Catholic parish of Riverstown and Church of Ireland Parish of Taunagh.

The ‘Celtic Tiger’ had limited impact in Riverstown, the most obvious sign being the building of new housing developments. There are very few employment opportunities within the village and most people travel to the nearby Sligo. There is however a very developed community sector with many active and vibrant community groups providing a range of essential services and supports within the community.

The village also boasts community enterprises such as The Sligo Folk Park, The James Morrison Cottage, Little Buddies Pre-School, A community Playground, an active tidy towns committee, a  Community park with playing fields, many sporting clubs / associations  and the very successful Santatown.

In Recent times Riverstown has been dubbed “Roverstown” due to the large number of Sligo Rovers Players choosing to live in the Village.

Riverstown has been the winner of many tidy towns’ awards and in 2004 was the winner of the national Pride of Place Award.

 Riverstown Vintage Festival 2013

The Riverstown Vintage Festival celebrates its 19^th year on Saturday June 1^st. Over the past 19 years it has placed itself as one of the premier vintage festivals in Ireland, through it many memories have been made and friendships formed. Over the years tens of thousands of people have attended the event at the local Community Park & Sligo Folk Park on Vintage Festival Day.

The air of excitement around the Vintage Festival in the village starts some weeks before the event as the FolkPark is transformed into the host venue for the festival. In the early days of the festival it was held in the LocalCommunityPark and then in the year 2000 it moved into the grounds of the newly built SligoFolkPark. This new venue provided good hard surfaces for displays and shelter from the sun or the rain in the many buildings that make up the park.

Over the years we have had displays of Traditional Crafts, Vintage Cars & Tractors, Threshers etc.

This Years festival promises to build on the successes of the past, with attractions like

• The “Heather Angels” All Ireland Ladies Tractor Build Team, who will strip down and re-build a Ferguson 20 tractor against the clock.
• A large selection of newly restored horse drawn farm machinery,
• A newly restored horse drawn travelling shop (circa 1911),
• And lots of visiting displays including live threshing display, miniature steam engine a large selection of vintage cars & tractors along with many traditional craft displays.
• There will be Music and dance throughout the day, at the main stage in the courtyard.
• For the young at heart we will have John Davey & his renowned “Farmyard in your Schoolyard”, a bouncy castle, fun games and face painting.

Millview House

For all those who want to take a real trip down memory lane, Millview House is one of the main attractions at Sligo Folk Park, it was built circa 1870, and is a treat to visit, all of the rooms are laid out in the style they would have been over one hundred years ago, with authentic furniture and household items. Make sure you do not leave until you experience this very special house.

The Street

 Sligo Folk Park also plays host to “The Street” an exhibition hall specially built to house a collection of shop fronts from around Sligo. Inside the exhibition hall is a carefully recreated village streetscape consisting of a variety of shops and services typical in every Irish village – the Creamery store, the Pub, the Grocers…., Many of the shop fronts are originals saved from destruction in the name of progress, each shop window contains authentic objects relevant to the original business carried out in the shop.

Millview coffee shop will be serving hearty home prepared food all day with traditional Boxty being served in the Farm Yard at Millview House.

Riverstown Vintage Festival starts at 12 noon until 5 pm on Saturday June 1^st 2013.

Admission is €10 for Adults (children accompanied by an adult are free).

The Festival will be officially opened by Mr Kieran O’Dowd President of Macra Na Feirme at 2.30 pm.

We are delighted to announce details of this years festival, taking place on Saturday June 1st from 12 noon to 5 pm at Sligo Folk Park.

“The Heather Angels hard at work” Click for larger image.

We extend a great welcome to

“The Heather Angels”

All Ireland Ladies Tractor Build Team.

For the younger visitor we will have John Davey with his acclaimed

“Farmyard in your Schoolyard”

Along with lots of other Vintage attractions, Live Music & Dance this year promises to be a great event.

Remember there will be lots of free parking, Millview Coffee Shop will be open all day.

The Co. Sligo Fleadh is also taking place in Riverstown on the same weekend.

Riverstown is the place to be on Saturday June 1st, Hope to see you there.

Click the images below to see this years festival programme

Click for larger version

Click for larger version

• “The Heather Angels” Ladies Tractor Build Team,
• Live music acts
• Activities for children
• Traditional craft exhibitions and demonstrations and
• An extensive range of restored agricultural machinery
• Vintage tractors and cars.

Click to see pictures of Vintage Day 2012

Dates for 2013 Confirmed

We are delighted to announce that the Festival will take place on Saturday June 1st this year. Full Details will be published once confirmed.

Photos of Past Vintage Days

Click to see pictures of Vintage Day 2012

If anyone has old photos from the Riverstown Vintage days over the past years and would like to share them with us please email them to John Taylor at riverstownvintagefestival@gmail.com  or drop them in to the Folk Park. If they are printed photos we can scan them to get digital copies and return your original photos unharmed to you.
It would be nice to get a permanent record of pictures not just of the Vintage days but of the people, some now gone, who played a huge part in their success.

The Directors, Management and staff of Sligo Folk Park wish to thank the local community and visitors to the park for your support through 2012. We wish you and yours every happiness in 2013.

Many thanks to everyone who entered the Santatown Competition.

The Lucky winner of a family ticket to this years show is

Sarah McDonald, from Drumfin Co.  Sligo

Congrats Sarah, We hope you enjoy the show.

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Lines open 7 days a week till 9 pm.

Children €15 includes the Christmas show, visit to Santa & a quality gift.  Adults €5.

Show dates

Saturday December 15th at 2 pm & 4 pm;

Sunday December 16th 2 pm & 4 pm;

Saturday December 22nd 2 pm & 4 pm.

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