That Beats Banagher - Back with a Bang...Literally!

That Beats Banagher, the annual summer festival of Banagher, Co. Offaly will return on July 22 and 24, and is full of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including a realistic and dramatic blast from a replica cannon!

The festival, now in its 9th year, takes place throughout various locations in the town, with a particular focus on the water to celebrate the town's picturesque setting on the River Shannon.

The festival will include a mock blast from a replica cannon on the settings of Fort Eliza, a military fortification equipped with four 24-pounder guns, a magazine and a guard house, and which was erected as a direct response from the ruling British to the potential threat of a Napoleonic invasion via The River Shannon.

This year's programme is particularly strong on literary events with the launch of three books, a film premiere and a craft exhibition all related to Charlotte Brontë's connection with Banagher (her honeymoon destination), and Patrick Slattery's book That Beats Banagher will be introduced by the author himself.

Highlights of this year’s festival also include;

- Water activities including; Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Kayaking

- Sauna on the banks of the River Shannon

- A full weekend itinerary of yoga classes

- A food and craft fair in the historic Bridge Barracks yard

- Craft demonstrations and workshops, including demonstrations by local straw-weavers and blacksmiths

- Children's outdoor cinema, art workshops and a 'make your own book' workshop

- Long Puck across the Shannon