Hear ye, Hear ye! Behold The Return of Abbey Medieval Festival
Published 09 June 2021
If you wondered why Council Chambers looked like Game of Thrones on the livestream today, it’s because everything old is new again.
Abbey Medieval Festival will be back on July 2-4 and after being cancelled in 2020 due to covid, Councillors took the chance today to celebrate in costume.
Mayor Peter Flannery said it was thrilling to again be able to host the largest medieval festival in the southern hemisphere and assured festival goers the event would be completely covid safe.
“Covid’s been tough on everyone, but I can’t imagine how much worse things must’ve been when an estimated 25 million people lost their lives to the ‘black death’ (1347-1352AD),” he said.
“Abbey Medieval Festival is a unique chance to experience life in the Middle Ages (600-1600AD) and I think it will take on increased poignance for everyone this year.
“If you’ve not seen this incredible spectacle it’s truly something to behold with re-enactors, armoured knights, real life jousters, performers, and even food vendors selling food from the Middle Ages.
“It’s like stepping into a fairy tale; even the animals at the event are authentic, with enormous Irish Wolfhounds, horses in period costumes, hawks and camels.”
Festival Director Edith Cuffe said she was elated by the enthusiasm of Council to help promote this year’s event and willingness to transform the Chambers into a medieval realm.
“Our Festival is all about experiencing the fascination of the Middle Ages in an immersive way, so seeing the council support what we do in this way is an incredible honour,” she said.
“The range of costumes we have seen has been tremendous. There is an element of “medieval” that nearly everyone can relate to.
“We see people dressing as everything from nobles to peasants, there’s even fantasy-related costumes. Some of our guests go to great lengths and hand make elaborate costumes.
“It’s an incredible thing to see!”
Get online to secure your tickets now: https://abbeymedievalfestival.com/