Limerick village hosts celebration of music, stunning countryside and culinary delights.

THE JOYCE Brothers and Ballyhoura walking festivals were a celebration of music and stunning countryside but also of culinary delights.

Kilfinane Community Council hosted a very successful cultural food fair at Ballyhoura Apple Farm which dished up tasty treats to 500 people. Local residents from 13 different nations prepared traditional dishes from their home countries .

Ruth McAuliffe, chairperson of Kilfinane Community Council, said they received very positive feedback from locals as well as from visitors attending the walking and music festivals. It brings to mind Shakespeare’s phrase, “If music be the food of love, play on”.

“We timed it so people attending music workshops and returning from walks could also attend but we were amazed at the turnout. There was a queue going the whole way along the apple farm for an hour and a half. We had bought compostable plates, cups and cutlery and ran out of the 300 plates after only half an hour! We still had plenty of bowls and cups left and enough food to feed people for another hour after that,” said Ms McAuliffe.

The cuisine didn’t cost a cent!

“A lot of people were surprised that the food was free but I feel it’s important to do it this way because for me, the focus is on bringing people together in Kilfinane. We heard some comments from older residents saying it reminds them of years ago when there was a fair held in Kilfinane and that it is a great social event. It’s lovely to hear things like this. The people cooking love taking part,” said Ms McAuliffe.

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Kilfinane Community Council held the cultural food fair in 2019 but then Covid arrived in 2020.

“We had been asked a few times earlier this year if we would be doing it again. We still had people asking the day before if they could cook food! It was too late then for this year but we will be planning even earlier to do this again next year so hopefully they will participate then.

“We are grateful to everyone who participated and helped out in any way especially our own Kilfinane Community Council members, people who cooked the delicious food, Scoil Pól students who volunteered, Ballyhoura Apple Farm for the lovely venue, TÚS workers for setting up the marquees and flags, Ballyhoura CCE musicians for the music, children in Scoil Fhionáin for making the colourful flags and Ballyhoura Development for helping us source funding,” said Ms McAuliffe, who also thanked the good people of Kildorrery and Galbally for their generosity.