Excitement builds for Ballymaloe May Fair

Excitement is building ahead of one of the biggest events on Ballymaloe’s calendar with the annual May Fair set to take place from May 12 to 14.

Cooking demonstrations, workshops, tours and talks, music, theatre, fashion and children’s activities are just some of the attractions on offer at this year’s event on the grounds of Ballymaloe.

Among the first of the summer festivals, the Ballymaloe May Fair aims to provide an interesting, diverse and fun-filled experience for family and friends, showcasing makers and artists from all over the country.

The weekend will be jam packed with activities, from classes in yoga and sound baths to the exciting Afro-Brazilian dance form, Capoeira. There will also be fashion upcycling workshops as well as workshops making candles, brass wreaths and sustainable cleaning products.

The festival will also see a line-up of talks and walks on sustainability, local history and long forgotten expertise about the Irish landscape and wildlife. Among the attractions is a forgotten skills area with live demonstrations on wood carving, iron forging, jewellery-making and more.

The best of Irish cuisine will be there too, as chefs from across the country will perform live cookery demonstrations all weekend, hosted by award-winning entrepreneur and food business coach, Tracie Daly.

Among the well-known faces on stage will be Ballymaloe’s Rachel and Darina Allen, Ruairí Dooley from Bia Sol and Mark Jennings from Pilgrims.

The May Fair will also be home to top class music and theatre. Fans of performing arts are in for a treat with a number of productions set in the beautiful walled garden of Ballymaloe.

Friday night will see a production of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ while Irish theatrical outfit and podcast, Candlelit Tales, are set to bring audiences an unforgettable, unique retelling of Irish mythology accompanied by live music.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.ballymaloegrainstore.com.