Féile na Draíochta

Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann, with Sticky Fingers Arts

Festival Day Time!

Tales of Ireland’s Ancient East at Ice House Hill Park, Dundalk 12-4pm. Saturday 12th October 2024.

Puppetry, art, craft, mythology, folklore, history, magic, play and storytelling…adventures of curious creatures across land and sea, and exploring the many different worlds in-between. Join us for fairy tales from the adventures of Queen Maeve, to Annaverna fairies, to the giants of Slieve Guillon.

Stories collected from the past to inspire a new generation of story makers and story keepers as we celebrate Irelands ancient east.

Join Irelands leading storytellers Liz Weir, Joe Brennan and Pat Mooney as they spin yarns to inspire, delight and enchant in a perfect family event for the young and young at heart with teams from the Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann, and Sticky Fingers Arts.

The team had this to say:

“Overall, I had a fantastic time. I think that the choice of Ice House Park as the location for the event was excellent. The natural setting, with a lovely lake, added to the vibes of the event. The activities took place around the lake, making it even better.”

“It was heartwarming to see families enjoying themselves together. The combination of storytelling, different games (chess, parachute, skipping, etc.), and activities (like the clay station) was wonderful. Everyone seemed so happy, and the puppet show, particularly, seemed to be everyone’s favourite.”

“One of my favourite things was seeing the great turnout on the day. It was wonderful to see everyone having so much fun! Children were so excited and participated in so many different games and activities. Many of them enjoyed the clay station, showing so much creativity. I had conversations with people who attended the event, who were genuinely interested in the Museum of Childhood and appreciated the concept.”

“I think the event went really well. It was great to see people enjoying time outside together, and even the sprinkles of rain did not keep people from staying. I was pleasantly surprised by how long the families chose to stay, with many of them there for multiple hours. It was great that there was a variety of hands-on activities to keep parents and children engaged, and the story telling and forest elf were a fun change of pace as well!”

“I think families really appreciated having an event like this with organised activities, and I think the location of it being in the park made it feel really accessible. When we were setting up there were a few parents who inquired about it and then came back later with their children which was great!”

“I think our two teams meshed seamlessly!”

“I was particularly happy that the day was accessible and fun for a number of children and families who struggled to communicate in English.”