'Mesmerising' event confirmed to make a return to Offaly this year

THE 50th Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships will be taking place in Birr from Saturday September 24th to Friday September 30th 2022.

Once again the skies above Birr will be filled with the beautiful sight of dozens of Hot Air Balloons.

The main launch HQ will be Birr Castle with flights taking place over the beautiful town and out into the surrounding, idyllic countryside, weather permitting of course.

The public are actively encouraged during the Championships to come out and see the balloons as they launch.

Forty balloons will be flying which will be a mesmerising, photogenic experience.

The Irish Championships is run by the Irish Ballooning Association as a private venture for hobby balloonists. The IBA do not ticket the event or charge for the spectacle.

"We are absolutely delighted," said a representative of the IBA, "to announce that the Championships will be taking place this year.

"It has been way too long for all involved since we were able to be together and celebrate everything hot air ballooning. With this in mind, and in celebration of our 50th event, we have added an extra day this year - we will be in Birr from the Saturday instead of the Sunday) and, weather permitting as always, ready to take to the skies.

"As always, this event wouldn’t be possible without our brilliant sponsors - Offaly Tourism, Grant Engineering and Birr Castle and Science Centre. Thank you!

"More details will follow nearer to the event such as times, more information on ballooning, weather information and updates. Our launch site will once again be the beautiful grounds of Birr Castle and Science Centre. We are still in the planning stages and as soon as we have event information we will post it on our Facebook page.

“Unfortunately, flights for members of the public are not available during the Championships - flying is purely for fun by private balloonists only and so flights are not able to be purchased.

"Just a little reminder that ballooning is totally dependent on the weather and we will only fly if it is suitable and safe to do so. We understand that some members of the public will want to travel some distance to see the balloons but, until around an hour (or even sometimes less) before the scheduled flight time, we will not be able to confirm if any flight will be going ahead and cannot ever advise on whether any travel should be undertaken. This can be very disappointing but unfortunately there is just nothing we can do about this aspect of ballooning. However, everyone has got seven months to start their prayers to the weather gods!"

The Championships are the longest running National ballooning event in the world. The first event was held in 1971 in Ballymahon, Longford and was attended by a handful of balloons.

The gathering has been held in Birr on a number of occasions, the last time being in 2019.

Balloonists from the UK, USA, France, Holland, Belgium, Chile, Germany and Ireland are regular attendees at the occasion.
These magnificent, enormous, ancient aircraft fly totally dependent on the wind for direction.

During the week a number of light-hearted competitions takes place to challenge the skill of the participating pilots.