ALL THINGS weird and walkable are featured in events across the country this weekend. One of the headline events is Tedfest 3 – commemorating the Dermot Morgan show Father Ted – which returns to the Aran Islands.
Father Ted ran for only three seasons on Channel 4, ending in May 1998, but its appeal shows no sign of diminishing. A four-day Tedfest was held last week but due to the demand for tickets, a second sitting is taking place over the weekend on Inis Mór.
The second coming of Tedfest 3 features “breakfast without Dermot Morgan”, learning Irish through the medium of Father Ted, and the Craggy Cup football tournament on Saturday. Another mainstay of Tedfest, the lovely girls competition, will again be held, and Sunday will feature the Father Ted prizeless quiz, a treasure hunt with bicycles, and crazy golf at 1am.
Those looking to stretch their legs rather than their sense of the surreal should head for Carlingford, Co Louth, host to the Táin Walking Festival. The walks are tailored for all abilities, ranging from a 16km trek to a “walk and fitness programme” and family treasure hunt over the weekend.
Literary leanings are catered for at the Éigse Cholm Cille poetry festival in Derry. The festival, set up in 2002 to promote reading and writing in Irish, is being held at the Magee campus of the University of Ulster. Among those presenting work today will be Cathal Ó Searcaigh, the subject of the controversial documentary Fairytale of Kathmandu, and Nuala Ní Dhómhnaill.
A number of events will also be held to mark International Women’s Day on Sunday.
On the sporting front, today sees Ulster take on Glasgow at Ravenhill, and Tyrone host Galway for their Division One football clash, and in the National Hurling League, Galway take on Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium tomorrow.
