Funky Festival on the Shores of Lough Allen 

The June Bank Holiday sees the launch of the new “Lough Allen Festival” on the eastern shores of Lough Allen. From June 3-6 there will be an unending supply of new activities at the new Cleighran More moorings in Ballinaglera, with evening entertainment in the villages of Dowra and Ballinaglera.

The anchor event of the festival will be the first in the series of the Irish Windsurfing Association Freestyle competitions running throughout Saturday and Sunday. With windsurfers from all over Ireland, some great displays of water acrobats are expected. The new Waterways Ireland facility at Celighran More will be officially opened in conjunction with the festival launch by Minister Éamon Ó Cuív, TD at 2.00pm on Friday, June 3rd. That evening will see an exciting show of young musical talent from both sides of the border in the Cross-Border Battle of the Bands. With first prize offering 2 days in a recording studio with mastering, there is sure to be some tough competition.

Throughout Saturday and Sunday the fun will continue with Free Pleasure Cruises of the lake, Kayak and Windsurfing Taster Sessions, OCEAN FM live broadcast, Shoreside BBQ and activities, Red Bull DJ entertainment, and plenty of action and giveaways. For those up for a bit of a challenge, the Raft Challenge at 6pm on Saturday and the Dowra Challenge at 6pm on Sunday are open to teams of 4. Build and race your own rafts with all materials provided, or take on the multi-activity Dowra Challenge on the river Shannon.

Monday 6th of June sees the launch of an exciting new event to the region- the Trans-Allen Crossing. Launching at 12 noon, this race of non-powered craft will cross 4.5 km of challenging Lough Allen waters, from Spenser Harbour to Cleighran More. All entries will be classified under 3 distinct categories, with the winners of each being totally dependent on the weather and water conditions of the day. This event promises to produce an exciting spectacle with some thrilling racing.

All in all, there is something for everybody at the Lough Allen Festival. The villages of Dowra and Ballinaglera have been working hard with their sponsor Waterways Ireland to make this event a success. Key support is also being provided by the Lough Allen Adventure Centre and the Ballingalera-Boho Tourism Partnership. It’s an exciting time for all, and will be the start of something great for the Lough Allen area.

For further information and event entry forms please visit www.loughallenfestival.com, email [email protected], or phone 00 353 71 964 3117.