St. DECLAN OF ARDMORE

While the Ardmore Pattern Festival is a modern, family-friendly Festival, showcasing much of what makes modern Ireland tick, the Festival would not exist at all but for the rich cultural heritage of St. Declan of Ardmore.  One of the aims of the Festival is to commemorate the life of St. Declan and what this means to the people of Ardmore, passing on the traditions and history of the area to our young children and future generations. With this in mind, we organise a number of events each year to celebrate our patron saint and the rich heritage of Ardmore and West Waterford.

COMMEMORATION

Since it’s inception in 2007, the Festival has commemorated St. Declan by walking part of St Declan’s Way from Grange to Ardmore, followed by a procession in honour of St. Declan down the Main Street to the local Church for prayers/Mass. In 2009, we took this one step further by organising a Pageant re-enacting St. Declan’s reputed arrival in Ardmore (by boat from Wales, following a Mass Bell atop a floating rock). This was very well received and brought a central part of the heritage of Ardmore to life for the large crowd in attendance.

Further development of the pageant during subsequent Festivals has meant the annual production on Pattern Day of a wonderful tableau of what life in Ardmore must have been like during St. Declan's lifetime, re-enacted initially in the Boatcove and in front of St. Declan's Church and, more recently, on Ardmore Beach. Each year St. Declan and his monks, having arrived in Ardmore by sea, parade to the Church, while St. Declan stops along the way to bless the sick and the weary, the young and the old of the time, as they re-enact scenes from historical Ireland for all to see. This wonderful event is enjoyed by large crowds each year, who then pack the Church for the annual Pattern Day Mass.

HISTORY WALKS

Another very popular Festival attraction is the Local History Guided Walks each year, where you can walk around the village, visiting all the major historical attractions in the company of a very knowledgeable local guide.

The Ardmore Pattern Festival - where the past and the present meet........