Ten Years of Volunteers

Yes, we were sweeping the streets on Saturday “litterally”. On Sunday, we hung up the bunting. On Monday, Tony and Ben put up the banner. This is the week of the Harold’s Cross Community Festival.

As it happens, this is also National Volunteering Week.

Yes, there was banners and bunting to be put up and programmes and flyers to be delivered and chairs and such to be laid out – all that physical work – but there was so much more than that. Those volunteers have been volunteering for months, if the truth be known.

There are so many aspects to organising a festival – planning, fundraising, co-ordinating, organising volunteers, publicity, printing, website and social media – shur we don’t know the half of what goes on behind the scenes…

The Harold’s Cross Community Festival has been going from strength to strength since it began 10 years ago, this year. It is organised by the Harold’s Cross Community Council who were founded in 2007 to promote our urban village and to encourage positive citizenship, community spirit and a sense of belonging.

It happens in May each year and it has created a great buzz in the area. Music in the park, a children’s carnival, historical re-enactments, poetry readings, art, culture, history lectures, walking tours and allsorts of everything… and it’s all local people.

Yes, there is a lot of talent in this small area and so many volunteers willing to lend a hand – but I’d say one thing: It might never have happened if it wasn’t for the vision and sheer determination of a small core group, led by Tony and Eileen McDermott.

Nár laga Dia sibh!

A quick plug : The Dublin Sketchers’ Art Exhibition opens tomorrow, Friday 17th of May, in the Rosary Pastoral Centre in Harold’s Cross (and it continues for the whole weekend). And did you know that Saturday the 18th was National Drawing Day? Plenty of drawings to be seen at this exhibition – numerous sketches of Harold’s Cross Village. There’s one of mine above… in Mount Jerome Cemetery.

Finally, I put together a ten minute film of the last ten years of the festival. It’s all still images – photos, drawings, paintings – and Pearse McGloughlin did the soundtrack. See below …