Claire Roche & Woodland Bard at Charleville Castle

This coming Summer Solstice day of Saturday, 21st June, 2014, at 4 pm
Claire Roche,and myself, John aka Woodland Bard, will be performing at
FaceFest Festival at Charleville Castle, SW of Tullamore, Co. Offaly Ireland.
We will be in the ballroom there, apparently among the set used for filming
Mary Queen of Scots.

2 performance stages and 3 mind, body and spirit activity areas
plus the Castle Ballroom, an incredible eating area and FREE camping.

There is no separate ticket to see us, because this is a festival.
The entire festival day to include all I will tell you about here costs a
measly €15 per person,

but its not measly when considering this is all voluntary to help
get more funds in to preserve this beautiful castle.

click here for a PDF about public transport to FaceFest, with timetables

The next day I host Bards In The Woods which will be at the Charleville Forest

Ok, let me explain all of this and what's going on, and how you can be there :-)

First, lets look at Charleville Castle with a lovely pic of the wooded entrance.

Then along the long driveway we come to the front of the castle, which is this.

as featured on just about every ghosthunting and haunted house television series, particularly in the USA.

And here is a lovely winter approach scene too ...

I'll go into a bit of history and renovation that's going on a bit later, but lets get onto the festival news.

See this Charleville Castle aerial shot ...

Well it is all going to turn into this

I will now give you a little tour around all of these components, telling you
what I know so far, which is only a taster of what is actually going on.

If you would like to book your tickets right now before looking at more

click here to order your tickets online now

This festival has a limit of 500 people I believe.

Here is a Google Map to help you find FaceFest

View Charleville Castle & Forest in a larger map

click here for a PDF about public transport to FaceFest, with timetables

Ballroom

Of course I mention this first, as this is where Claire and I will perform,
at 4 pm until about 5 pm, inside the Castle, because Claire's harps are not
very healthy in the extremes of climate that may happen
... plus this is a great venue for when we perform together.

This pic above does not show the Mary Queen Of Scots set though,
so I look forward to seeing that and sending you pics at the events.

I do have a lovely pic of the fireside alight, which is pretty, and I have heard that even at midsummer it is cool enough to have this alight?

The day of the festival starts at, I believe, 10 am with performances starting at Noon
and going on until Midnight, or maybe later.

In the Ballroom there will be poets and storytellers all day. I know the excellent Tomas O'Cárthaigh poet and his Tullamore Rhymers will be there too, which I am excited about. I will try to slip in a video clip of Tomas here later.

click here to order your tickets online now

Main Stage

Well this looks like the rowdy part of the FaceFest

This poster gives some of the names of who will perform for you there.

This is well in front of the castle main doors

click here for the Facebook Page where there are videos of the bands performing.

click here to order your tickets online now

Electronic Stage - The Kontact Stage

It looks like quite a line up of DJs etc. looking after that, and I think this is their stage?

Grove Of Tranquillity

I also have this video promotion of that, so this may help you become aware
of what is happening there.

click here to order your tickets online now

click here for a PDF about public transport to FaceFest, with timetables

Tir na Nog

This is a children's area and for those who are children at heartt.

... and I've just read I'm telling tree stories for much of the day. Ooops, I had better get refreshing what I know about them :-)

Medieval Zone

Also not sure what is going to be going on here, but it suggests re-enctments and all kinds of RenFaire types of action and jollities, doesn't it?

I read somewhere that there are going to be 5 interactive crafts
that visitors can learn here.

click here to order your tickets online now

Feast Fest

Well yes, I do know what is happening here,

positioned between the Castle and the Main Stage.

I have seen various pics of dishes and menus being prepared by the chef here for all kinds of tastes, vegans, vegetarians, gluten free, fish lovers, meat devourers etc..

I believe the above is a fish curry on a salad. One I would enjoy :-)

And, of course, in this area is Ice Cream

click here to order your tickets online now

click here for a PDF about public transport to FaceFest, with timetables

Camping

Looks like lots of Camping areas here and camping is FREE
- included as an option in your €15 ticket.

I know that Tipi Adventures will be here

but I have no idea what they will have available yet?

click here to order your tickets online now

click here for a PDF about public transport to FaceFest, with timetables

Bards In The Woods

For those of you hanging on through Sunday we will host our weekly
Bards In The Woods here at Charleville Forest meet at 2 pm for
a ramble through the Charleville Woods

though the bluebells will not be out, but that's the only pic I have at present.

There are many ancient oaks here, for one.

Bring your favourite words of poems and stories along,
which of course may be your own, highly encouraged