Bishop launches Family Fun day taking place on June 16
Bishop Denis Nulty extended a warm welcome to all families to the Kildare and Leighlin Diocese Family Fun Day, taking place in the grounds of Carlow College, St Patrick’ Saturday, June 16 from 2pm-6pm.
Following on from a hugely successful picnic in Punchestown last August, which saw an attendance of approximately 4,000 people, the diocese is once more hosting a family friendly, free afternoon, this time in the heart of Carlow town.
Just as in Punchestown, the Bishop is welcoming families from 56 parishes but, also, from the many and diverse communities that are now part of the diocesan family.
People are welcome to come and enjoy a picnic alongside the many activities that will be on offer.
There is a full schedule of live entertainment starting at 2p.m.
The Garda Band will be performing at 2:30p.m and local groups including Carlow Youth Orchestra, Carlow Youth Services Acts, Reelig, Aspiro, Presentation School Band and many others will showcase the amazing talent of Carlow.
There will be an official welcome to the afternoon by Bishop Denis at 3:15pm. MC for the afternoon is Edward Hayden who many people will know from his Saturday morning radio show on KCLR and his many appearances on the cookery slot of TV3’s Ireland AM.
Aside from the stage area there will be plenty to see and do with Carlow Sports Partnership and Carlow Youth Services providing lots of activities to keep young and not so young entertained. There will be demonstrations from the Defence Forces and Fire Services, an art tent, Davy’s Pets, Trócaire display, African drumming, Vintage cars and lots more!
Commenting on the day, Bishop Denis Nulty said: ‘This afternoon is about us offering a space for the many kinds of families across the diocese to spend some quality time together. It’s about having fun and enjoying a free afternoon of music, sport, art and food – all elements that are so important to family life. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to those parishes that have hired buses and are hosting families from the direct provision centres in our diocese. I want to acknowledge and say thank you to all those local organisations and bodies that have responded so positively to the idea of this family event. Their participation has helped us shape what we think is going to be a really wonderful afternoon for everybody who comes.’
This afternoon is part of the Kildare and Leighlin Diocese preparation for the World Meeting of Families taking place in Ireland from August 21-26.
Alongside faith and parish based initiatives, the diocese has undertaken a number of community outreach events including the KandLe Family Fun Day. There will be a World Meeting of Families stand in the grounds of Carlow College for those who wish to find out more about this once in a life time event.