Tramore Oceanic Surf and Sea Festival -23 to 26 Sept

Surfers and Sun seekers and Seafarers will be flocking to Tramore for the third annual Tramore Oceanic Surf and Sea Festival which was launched today on Tramore beach. The festival will take place at the seaside resort around the ancient celebration of ‘Michaelmas Day’ the feast day of St Michael., the patron saint of seafarers from September 23 to 26 2010. Commenting at the festival launch Linda Tuohy, Festival Chairperson said, “We view this festival as a promotion of Tramore’s unique selling points as an easily accessible, beautiful natural resource where activities are in abundance. Our aim for the festival is to offer visitors and local residents alike an opportunity to partake in and familiarise themselves with all that Tramore has to offer. The festival is all about the Sea, Surfing, Maritime Heritage, and the tradition of celebration of these events within the town. .A huge attraction to the festival to date has been the full free family orientated programme which takes place on the Sunday.” An action packed programme of activities will take place throughout the festival weekend, commencing on Thursday, September 23 with a Coastal Art and Photography, exhibition by artist Sinead Ni Chionala and photographer Carmel Cleary.

On Friday, September 24 a taste of Tramore including beer tasting and seafood seminar in The Sea Horse and “Festival Special Menu’s” will feature in the towns participating restaurants. A mini Surf Film Festival will also commence at The Victoria House at 7pm. On Saturday, September 25 a ladies surf weekend will begin at Oceanics Surf School with 60 free places available courtesy of Oceanics Surf School, The Irish Surfing Association and the Women in Sport Initiative.

T-Bay Surf School, Tramore Surf School and Freedom surf schools will host half price two hour slots of surfing and other fun activities commencing at 2pm. Waterford Surf Lifesaving are holding the Ultimate Beach Lifeguard Challenge competition on the beach and a ‘Working with Willow’ workshop for children making a miniature seaweed doll workshop will also feature. The Community Group Transition Towns are also planning to run an outdoor ‘Non Electrical Picnic’ as a new edition to the Festival fringe events. A Seafood foraging tour will take place on Tramore beach and a local writers reading on ‘Old Tramore’ will take place at the town’s library.

A live festival music entertainment programme will feature through the town’s pubs and hotels on Saturday evening. On Sunday – it’s Free Family Fun Day – a programme of fun activities open to all for free on Tramore beach will commence from 11am. A number of workshops and kids events are planned including Eco-walks, Wind and Kite Surfing Exhibitions, Martial Arts demonstration, Fun and Beach games with Middle Earth Venture Scouts, Beach Volley Ball, a Skate Jam, Rock Climbing demonstrations with Tramore Cliff Rescue Association, Orienteering with Waterford Orienteering Club, a Sea-Weed Workshop, Historian sessions, Classic VW display, Thundercats Powerboat demonstration, a farmers and country market, entertainment and much more.

All four surf schools Oceanics, T-Bay, Freedom and Tramore Surf School are offering half price lessons and hire for the day; Splashworld and Runamuck are also offering half price entry for the festival weekend.

During the Michaelmas festival ancient traditions honouring the patron saint of seafarers will be revived in the town. The celebration of St Michael’s Day originating around the autumn equinox was traditionally celebrated in Tramore as it marked the end of the tourist season and the end of the time for bathing in the bay. It was said the sea was for the fairies from October to June and June was the traditional start of the bathing season.

In the 1900’s when Michaelmas Day came around the bathing ladies who worked maintaining the bathing boxes and teaching the visitor’s children to swim took to the streets of Tramore with a Seaweed doll and went from house to house where they would receive a token of appreciation from the people of the town for their hard work over the summer months. After the parading of the town the doll was taken down to the Promenade where it was cast out as an offering to the sea. It was said if the doll turns up in the Back Strand of the bay it would mean the next season would be a very good summer. According to festival Chairperson, Linda Tuohy “In Tramore at 4pm on September 26 this lovely tradition with the parade of ten foot ‘Molly’ the Seaweed doll will take place along the Promenade to the sounds of the ‘Hooks and Crooks’ Sea shanty singers; ‘Molly’ will then be thrown into the sea just like our seaside ancestors did almost 100 years ago. ‘Molly’ is made of willow and seaweed and is completely Eco-friendly. This will close the festival and see the official commencement of the Surfing Season in Tramore. All are welcome to join in the parade! We also wish to thank all our sponsors and participants for coming on board again for 2010.” Part of the aim of the festival is to highlight the fact that whilst the traditional bathing season is drawing to a close, Michaelmas Day denotes an equinox and change of seasons when surfing conditions in Ireland improve for the autumn/winter period and so begins a whole new season of activity.

The Tramore Oceanic Surf and Sea Festival, is generously supported by Tramore Tourism, Failte Ireland, the Irish Surfing Association, Women In Sport Initiative, Waterford County Council, Tramore Chamber of Commerce, Tramore Tidy Towns, Oceanics Surf School, Circle One, The Vic Pub, Apple Brown Betty’s Cafe, The Natural Health Store, Lou's Place, Bay Spa, The Sandcastle Shop, T-Bay Surf Centre, Tramore Surf Shop & Surf School, Freedom Surf & Adventure, The Reef Surf Shop, Florries Fine Wines, The Grand Hotel, The Majestic Hotel, O’Shea’s Hotel, Splashworld, Runamuck and Laserblast.