Carrick-on-Shannon events unveiled

A programme of events to mark the 400th anniversary of the Co Leitrim town of Carrick-on-Shannon was unveiled by the Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar this afternoon.

Carrick-on-Shannon was granted a charter as a town by King James I in 1613, and the town will be marking the anniversary next year with a 10-month programme of events.

The celebrations begin in February next year when Carrick Rowing Club, the oldest in Ireland, hosts the Head of the Shannon event on February 23rd.

The programme of events includes the Connacht Fleadh in July, the Connacht finals of the HSE Community Games, the return of the arts festival in June and the centre-piece event - the Leitrim Roots Festival in September.

It will be part of the The Gathering and will be encouraging thousands of people who left the town and who live in Ireland or abroad to come back.

Mr Varadkar said the effort put in to organise the events had been “enormous” and it amounted to a “very important tourism initiative for Carrick and for Co Leitrim”.

Dermot Gallagher, former secretary general of the Department of  the Taoiseach and native of the town, said he concurred with the comments made about Carrick-on-Shannon in The Irish Times series about the best place in Ireland

It was described by local historian Kathleen Coleman as a “riverside gem”.

“As somebody with unshakable pride in my Carrick and Co Leitrim roots, I strongly share that pride and passion,” he said.