Tackling bugs, crafts and a mural on Clonmel heritage and biodiversity day

Clonmel Applefest welcomed the public to Denis Burke Park on Sunday for their Heritage & Biodiversity Day as people were invited to join in a variety of fun activities in the great outdoors.
The first workshop of the day was given by musician Andy Spearpoint who guided participants through an energetic music making session with a range of traditional instruments such as Vietnamese gongs, conga drums, and wah-wah tubes as well as tongue drums fashioned from used gas cylinders. The lively session was enjoyed by kids and grown ups alike and brought a real buzz to the amphitheatre.
Meanwhile, over at the picnic tables, the Applefest team were busy facilitating an array of crafting activities. Glitter glue, oil pastels, beads, and vibrant materials were all being used to create and decorate colourful festival bunting and slate discs which were then hung in the Applefest ‘Love Orb’.
Elke Wilson was demonstrating willow weaving, encouraging participants to enhance the Caim Coracle, which was crafted by a team of makers during the Indigenous workshops held earlier in the year. Artist Annie Hogg was also on hand to invite people to write messages of love and grief in pen or inks, which will be placed into the Coracle and set afloat on the river Suir as a symbolic gesture of release, as part of a ritual procession that will take place along the Blueway on the final day of the Clonmel Applefest in September.
Further up the park, the River Bug Hunting workshops were in full flow, facilitated by Louise Garcia in conjunction with Suircan Environmental. Families gathered on the riverbank in their wellies for an up close and personal encounter with the invertebrates that live in the Suir. Using small nets, fly larvae and pond skaters were some of the bugs discovered as Louise explained how invertebrates help to measure our water quality.
Artists Brigid Teehan and Paulette O’Donovan were getting hands-on with the continuation of the colourful Biodiversity Mural at the top of the park. Clonmel Tidy Towns had been out in force the previous week along with volunteers and some of the Applefest team to get the mural started which features examples of Clonmel’s wildflowers and wildlife. The scene really came to life with help from all participants big and small who added flowers, butterflies, ladybirds, and bees in vibrant colours.
Fitnut Coffee were also set up in the park providing hot drinks and tasty bakes. Only recently launched by Sports Nutritionist Evan Lynch, the coffee truck was doing a roaring trade for the day snagging all the passers-by and making a great addition to the ambience in the park.
Clonmel Applefest was delighted with the turnout for their Heritage & Biodiversity Day which was made possible through funding from the Arts Council and Tipperary County Council. Their thanks also goes to Suircan Environmental, Clonmel Tidy Towns, and all the artists and volunteers who took part on the day.
This year, Clonmel Applefest takes place from the 23rd to 26th September.