August 2006

Moville's Foyle Festival Event Schedule

The Foyle Festival takes place from Wednesday 2nd of August to Monday 7th of August and has a full programme of events.

I thought it might be worthwhile telling those who are thinking of visiting it what I think are the 'must see' events.

Wednesday

The festival is to be opened in McGettigan's pub in the Malin Road at 6pm on the Wednesday by Damien Faulkner, the international racing driver who is from Moville. Last year he won the Formula Porsche series winning himself a free Porsche.

This is followed by a Car Treasure Hunt.

There will be live music late on at McGettigans, the Waterfront and the Town Clock.

There's also a good quiz on at Rawdon's.

Thursday

There's a children's treasure hunt in the early evening and fans of GAA can watch a match at the GAA field.

Gamblers can then head for the Festival Texas Holdem at the Waterfront Bar.

There should be a great quiz on at Rosata's Bar which I'll certainly be attending - especially as I'm the quizmaster.

There is also a good alternative for Buzz fans (not Lightyear) as there is to be a Playstation Buzz competition at the Foyle Hotel.

After that they have reinstated what used to be one of the highlights of Moville Festivals, the Fancy Dress Ball at the Town Clock.

Friday

All day long there will be a Bouncy Castle down the Batch Green on the shore. That should tire out the kids.

In the early evening there is a football tournament in the Bay Field as you enter the town from Derry.

At the same time there is a Battle of the Bands with a 1,000 Euro prize. That is sure to be very popular and is well worth a visit. You'll hear it from wherever you are anyway.

There's music in 5 different bars that evening.

For traditional music fans there's a great session at Rawdon's. If anyone can sing or play they are usually very welcome to take part.

There's live music at the Foyle Hotel and there is also a DJ in their Sports Bar.

There are DJs also at the Waterfront, Maguire's and the Town Clock.

I'll almost certainly be at Rosata's where there is a good duo from Greencastle called The Boo Hoo's. They play acoustic music. They'll always play a few Bob Dylan songs with songs from such as Cat Stevens and Christy Moore.

Perhaps later on, when the music finishes, I'll go up the Town Clock as they have a late licence.

Saturday

For the children there's a Bouncy Castle all day down Bath Green and there's a Schools Arts competition in the morning.

This is a big day on the water so lets hope its a good sunny day. It's Moville Regatta weekend. There's a Punt Race and a Dromtheim Race. The best place to watch from is Moville pier where there is usually a commentary.

Do you have a bonny baby or like looking at them? If you do then St. Eugene's Hall in the afternoon is the place for you.

If you like to look at Vintage Tractors then you can see them in Quay Street in the late afternoon.

And then there's two events that you really must see. Firstly there's the Sheaf Throwing contest which takes place in Bath Green followed by an Inter Pub Tug of War. There's always a lot of local rivalry and they should be good craic. I'll certainly be there.

The afternoon finishes with Mini Digger Trials.

The Festival is really in full swing now with a Pogues tribute Band starting at 9pm on the Malin Road. That should be well received and well attended. There should be lots of drinking and carousing with people spilling out from Rosata's, McGettigan's and Rawdon's.

Later on there's live music in Rawdon's, The Waterfront, The Foyle Hotel (with a DJ in the Sports Bar), Maguire's (followed by a DJ), The Trawlerman and a DJ on at the Town Clock.

The good thing about Moville is that the pubs are all on, or just off, the main square so you can go and sample them all till you find one that you want - even the locals do that.

There's also a dance in McNamara's with Swingtime and there is an entry fee of 10 Euros.

Rawdon's should be pretty good. They play a lot of Bob Dylan, Beatles etc. along with a few contemporary Irish tunes. You may spot Paddy McLaughlin who was also playing at the traditional session the night before.

It's usually a good session. I'll have a look around the town first but I'll probably end up there. If you can sing or play you just have to ask.

Sunday

Sunday is the big, big day of the Regatta at the Pier.

There is once again the Bouncy Castle on Bath Green. Many parents let their kids play on that whilst they watch the racing from the pier as the Bouncy Castle is visible from there.

There is a Charity Water Treasure hunt at the pier. I'm not sure what that involves but one suspects that it is in the water and as a non-swimmer I'll be a spectator.

This is followed by the Regatta Cruiser race and then a 'really must see' event, i.e. The Raft race. This is always a good bit of craic. Most of the local pubs sponsor a raft. They star toff from the protected side of the pier. They then have to do a U-Turn around the pier into the unprotected waters. If the lough is a bit choppy you normally see a lot of rafts overturned.

There is always a great deal of merriment as the rafts tumble. Anyone who watches motor racing for the crashes should have a really fun time. There is a motor launch to rescue those who have fallen in, but in previous years they have often created the waves that have caused the rafts to capsize.

Everyone will be there. Don't miss it. The prizegiving afterwards is at McNamara's Hotel.

In the evening the sounds of U2 will ring out in the square as tribute band Vertigo play. That should prove to be popular.

There will be live music at Rosato's, The Foyle Hotel, the Trawlerman and the Town Clock (with a DJ afterwards). There will be a DJ at Maguire's and the Waterfront.

Rosato's has one of the district's best bands on in The Plea and they also have a barbecue out in the back - and that is where I will be that night. The Plea, who play a lot of Bob Dylan, are not to be missed.

Monday

It should be a good day for the kids on Monday with a Bouncy Castle, Stilt Walkers and a Fire Engine with face painting taking place all day.

Then there is Day 3 of the Moville Regatta, which takes place at the pier, with a GP14 race, a Punt race and a Dromtheim race taking place.

There will then be a Children's Sports and Fun Day down at the Bath Green

In mid afternoon, for the fit and healthy, there will be a 10Km fun run for charity.

There will also by a Model Helicopter Display at Batch Green followed by the Festival Closing with a Rocket Launch and a Pipe Band.

Where to Eat and Drink

In Moville there is no fixed convention in terms of which pubs you go to by your age. However, I thought it might be well worthwhile to tell you what tends to be the younger and older pubs in the town and what they are known for.

The younger crowd tend to go to The Waterfront and Maguires. There are usually DJs there.

Rosato's tends to have an 'older' younger crowd, i.e. Twenties and Thirties but there are people there of all ages especially at meal times.

Rawdons really does have all ages, as does The Foyle Hotel and The Eggman. The Trawlerman and McGettigans and the Corner Bar tend to have a slightly older crowd, but as I said at the top, this is not a hard and fast rule.

People of all ages, but mostly younger, tend to go to the Town Clock later on as it has a late licence.

In terms of eating, the upmarket end in terms of price would be the Waterfront and the Foyle Hotel and these have good reputations for food.

At prices a little lower there is Rosato's who also have a very good Pizza range. In town, if you are buying Pizzas to eat in or take away it would normally be from here.

McNamara's Hotel does a full range of food at reasonable prices

There's a really great Indian Restaurant in the town called Karma on the Malin Road.. I used to live in London and the USA and have eaten in Indian restaurants all over the place and I would say that this one would rank highly amongst them. Try their Chicken Ticka Chilli Masala.

They also do take aways as does the Chinese just off the main square.

One place to go for good meals at very reasonable pries is Barrons Cafe which is situated on the lower Main Street. If I want a good breakfast that is where I go.

There is also the Cosy Cottage which is popular too for meals throughout the day.

Moville also has a couple of good Chippies in The Point and Seamy's which are only ten seconds away from each other.

If you really wanted to go upmarket you could take a 3-mile drive to Kealey's in Greencastle which has an international reputation - but you'd have to book beforehand for an evening meal.

Other Things to Do

There is a great shore walk in Moville. Indeed, my sister's husband, who hails from San Francisco, describes it as one of his favourite walks anywhere in the world. You start from down the Bath Green and you can walk all the way to Greencastle.

There are also two golf courses, one, the Moville Golf Course which is just past Greencastle and the Redcastle golf course which is attached to the Redcastle Hotel. The Redcastle Hotel, part of the Carlton Group, also has a swimming pool, a gym, and all sorts of Beauty Treatments.

There is also a Pitch and Putt course in Moville.

There is accomodation in Moville itself at the Foyle and McNamara's Hotel as well as at smaller guest houses such as Barron's and the Corner Bar. I'm told that Barron's has very good clean and tidy rooms with ensuite bathrooms at a very reasonable price of 20 Euros - and you are assured of a very good breakfast in the morning.

All the local people are very much looking forward to the Foyle Festival and any visitors are assured of a great time. As Moville is very compact with all the pubs, eating places and staying places very close to each other, there is always a great buzz about the town during the Festival.

Come and have fun!

To find out when and where all the activities are taking place go to website www.foylefestival.com

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