Mullinahone's Kickham Weekend Festival to mix old and new

Back in 1982 the President of Ireland Dr. Patrick Hillary came to Mullinahone to join with the people of Tipperary to celebrate the centenary of the death of Charles J. Kickham. The celebrations went on for a week. The following year 1983 a weekend festival was arranged in Mullinahone and this tradition has been carried on every year since then.

The weekend of the festival was changed to the May Bank holiday from August a number of years ago and the format of the weekend was also somewhat changed.

Two outstanding personalities, broadcaster Mary Wilson and journalist Billy Keane have opened the Festival in Mullinahone in the last two years. This year the Weekend Festival will be opened by the young Cork woman, Joanne O’Riordan. Over the last number of years Joanne has become a household name on TV as a result of the video on her life “No Limbs, No Limits”. Her life is an inspiration and no doubt the people of the Knocknagow area will have the chance to be inspired by her on Friday May 3 in the “Fr. McGrath”(Mullinahone NS) Hall when she opens the 37th Kickham Festival.

One of the objectives of the Kickham Weekend which is supported by the Arts section of Tipperary County Council is the raising of knowledge about Kickham and the local history of Mullinahone and Tipperary. Primary school competitions have taken place and awards will be presented on Thursday May 2. Two booklets “Charles Joseph Kickham” (p1974) and “Knocknagow Remembers” (p1982) have been reprinted and will be on sale over the weekend. Both are concise publications about both Kickham and the Mullinahone area and contain many samples of Kickham's work which are sometimes difficult to come by.

Saturday in Mullinahone will see an afternoon stroll in the footsteps of CJK from Mullinahone Co-Op to Kickham's Tree. A short talk will be delivered on the Co-op by Jim White. The walk is a distance of about 2 miles. That night there will be a night of Ceol agus Craic with local talent and hot food in the Mullinahone Community Centre on the Carrick Road. Tickets are limited and it is a case of Bring your own Bottle.

Mass on Sunday, May 4 at 11.30am will be offered for C.J. Kickham and his first biographer James Maher. It will include an oration by historian Dr. Tom McGrath from nearby Ballingarry. Wreaths will be laid on the graves of both CJ Kickham and James Maher after Mass.

On Sunday afternoon the official events of the weekend will come to an end with Poetry, Song and Story by the Banks of the Anner. This will take place in Croc-an-Oir (Ballycullen) ie. Berminghams adjacent to Kickham’s Tree.

In a time when interest in history may be failing, the interest in local places and people still seems to be strong. Perhaps rural Ireland has a greater sense of its heritage than its urban cousins and this should attract people to Mullinahone over the May Bank Holiday weekend. There is something for everyone and one can always adjourn to the local taverns for music etc after the events of the day.