Thousands gathered in Carrick-on-Suir for Christmas tractors parade and festival
The night-time parade featuring 50 fairy light festooned tractors was the climax of the town's second annual Tractors & Tudors Christmas Festival last Saturday
Thousands of people lined the streets of Carrick-on-Suir on Saturday evening to savour the 12th annual Christmas Tractors of Carrick-on-Suir Parade that featured a fleet of 50 tractors covered in dazzling fairy lights.
The parade that began in Piltown and travelled through Portlaw, Clonea and Rathgormack before passing through Carrick town centre marked the climax of the town’s second Tractors & Tudors Festival.
Stuart Downie of the Crop Cruisers tractor drivers, who founded and organises the tractors parade, said it was a brilliant occasion and they were blessed with the weather.
“We had a bit of rain between Portlaw and Clonea-Power but that was it. There was a huge turnout of spectators.
This group of young spectators had a good vantage point outside the Strand Theatre to watch the Christmas Tractors of Carrick-on-Suir Parade. Picture Anne Marie Magorrian.
Little Darragh Coffey took part in the Children’s Christmas Tractors run at Ormond Castle. Photo: Anne Marie Magorrian
A Christmas tractor run for children on pedal tractors in the Castle Park was a popular curtain raiser for the main parade earlier in the evening.
Other highlights of the Tractors & Tudors Festival were a visit of the South East Bikers Charity Toy Run to the town earlier in the afternoon and a Christmas craft market at Ormond Castle that started at 1pm.
The craft market was one of a host of cultural events that took place around the castle for the festival.
The day of celebration concluded with the Beat Fleet street party at the New Street Car Park where the public got to see the illuminated tractors parked up after the parade and enjoy amusements.
Eamon Faulkner with granddaughter Fiadh Ronain and Santa at Ormond Castle during the Tractors & Tudors Christmas Festival in Carrick-on-Suir.
Check out many more of Anne Marie Magorrian's photographs from Carrick-on-Suir's Tractors & Tudors Christmas Festival on pages 54 and 55 of this week's edition of The Nationalist now on sale in local shops.