Maritime Matters Festival Fun on offer at Hook Lighthouse
May Bank Holiday Weekend
A fun filled Maritime Matters Festival will get underway at the world’s oldest working Lighthouse on the Hook Peninsula Coutny Wexford this May bank holiday weekend.
An action packed day of festivities will get underway on Saturday April 30th from 11am. Join in the fun and games for all the family with Pirate Pat and Captain Hook.
On Sunday and Monday, May 1st and 2nd learn about safety at sea from members of the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI. Visitors will have the opportunity to have a go at some archaeology with Wolfhound Archaeology learing all about our Viking past. Experience the Exploration Dome to learn about sea life, explore the craft market onsite or join in lawn games and fun adventures with Pirate Pat and Captain Hook or for the ‘bigger adventurous kids’ can try out the Bungee Trampoline.
Commenting on the upcoming festival weekend Ann Waters of Hook Lighthouse said, “We are delighted to host another Maritime Matters Festival, it is always a fantastic weekend of fun for all the family with the added bebefit of placing an important focus on safety at sea and reminding us of the great work our emeregency service teams carry out alongside the beacon of safety that is Hook Lighthouse. We are also thrilled to be launching our new Ireland’s Ancient East tour and we look forward to sharing this experience with all of our visitors.”
The day prior to the festival weekend Hook Lighthouse will launch its brand new Ireland’s Ancient East Tour Experience. Visitors to the 800 year old Lighthouse will be able to take a step back in time on a guided tour and meet St. Dubhan and his fifth Century Monks who first established the beacon at the Hook Peninsula. Meet the greatest Knight that ever lived William Marshall and hear the stories from the Lightkeepers and their families who for well over 100 years were stationed on site protecting all of those at Sea.
This year in conjunction with Maritime Matters, events for Hooked on the Sea 2016 will be running across the Peninsula. Check out Hooked on the Sea 2016 . A host of marine themed events for all ages across the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Activities on and off the water; paddle boarding, boat trips on the estuary, local produce picnic in Colclough Walled Gardens, pirates galley in Kilmokea Gardens, beach foraging, sea themed children’s workshops and outdoor market.
Maritime Matters takes place in conjunction with the Great Lighthouses of Ireland, ‘Shine a Light’ events. Whereby 12 lighthouses including Hook Lighthouse will shine a light and celebrate and share the rich tradition and work that they of carry out across Ireland over the May bank holiday weekend. For hundreds of years lighthouses have helped seafarers find their way. Now they shine their light on truly unique experiences around our stunning coastline.
This will be a special opportunity to get behind the scenes with experts from Irish Lights and learn about technology and Navigation today. Local historians and Storykeepers will provide tours that showcase the natural and cultural highlights.
Lighthouse keeping was a way of life for keepers and their families for well over 100 years. However, in the 1980s, advances in technology meant that lighthouses could be automated and there was no longer a need for permanent lighthouse keepers to be stationed on site. Great Lighthouses of Ireland is a wonderful way of keeping this rich maritime heritage, and the legacy of these Lighthouse Keepers, alive.
For all of the festival details in Wexford see www.hookheritage.ie and for details on the Great Lighthouses of Ireland see www.greatlighthouses.com