Press Release For Guinness Féile na nDéise 2001

No Féile na nDéise This Year Due to Foot & Mouth Disease

At a specially convened meeting of the Committee of Féile na nDéise last Monday night, it was decided to defer the popular May Bank Holiday festival for this year in the light of the situation prevailing in regard to the Foot and Mouth precautions.

This is just one more in a long list of festivals and events which have fallen foul of the dreaded disease and having lost their place on the calendar this year, there is no other suitable date available later in the summer.

The Committee felt that balancing the major benefits of the Féile, against the possible loss of the livelihoods of people in the farming, tourist and related industries, there was no way they could consider going ahead this year.

"There was far too much at stake for the country as a whole," said Committee Chairperson, Áine O'Riordan after the meeting, "and after a lengthy and detailed discussion on all aspects of the problem, we felt we had no option but to cancel."

This will come as a major disappointment to the many people from County Waterford and the over half of the country, who travelled year after year to the Féile, but with the date so close and no lifting of the restrictions forthcoming from the Department of Agriculture, they faced the inevitable and took the difficult decision. While many indoor events have resumed, outdoor gatherings are not yet approved.

"The risk to livelihoods and the real possibility of an out of state visitor bringing the infection with them, weighed heavily with our members," she said, "and disappointed as we are, and as dejected as our countrywide supporters will be, we had to do what is right in the long run."

The decision could not be delayed any longer and with huge resources having to be ploughed into advertising and promotion over the next couple of weeks, minds had to be made up this week. With musicians, singers, dancers and enthusiastic visitors being drawn from all corners of the country and beyond, there was a real risk involved for the county.

This is one of the earlier outdoor festivals on the calendar and unfortunately the dedicated committee, who have organised six highly successful Féiles so far, did not have the luxury of putting off the evil day.

"Féile na nDéise has been developed into a festival of stature and is highly regarded all round the country. We hold this good reputation in trust for future committees," says Áine, "and we have no intention of doing anything which would tarnish the festival's image or that of the town or county."

So there will be a major gap in the entertainment programme for the May Bank Holiday weekend this year, but in coming to their decision, the Féile people also committeed themselves to returning with an even bigger festival next year, when they hope and pray that the Foot and Mouth scare will be just a bad memory.