HUNDREDS of Irish speaking zombies will be mingling amongst the hosts and ghouls in Londonderry this Hallowe’en
Deireadh Fómhair 30, 2012
A 200 strong contingent of teenagers will be setting up camp in Londonderry for the duration of the holiday, as they attend the annual Oireachtas conference in Letterkenny.
They are planning to sample the best that scary Londonderry has to offer while they are here. According to the group’s spokesperson, Ríonach Ní Scolaí, this is the first time that Ógras have attended the festival. They hope to take in as many local Hallowe’en events as they can over the course of the Oireachtas.
“We have kids coming up from all parts of Ireland – from Maghera, Downpatrick, Dublin, Kildare, Naas, and all over – to take part in Scléip na hÓige the youth events at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, the Irish language and culture festival,” she explained.
“The festival takes place in Letterkenny, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to take in the carnival while we’re here, as we’ve heard so much about it and the members are all really excited about the trip.
“The young people are all aged between 12-18, and while we attend the Oireachtas each year this is the first time we will be taking part in the Hallowe’en celebrations.
“We’ve visited the city before and enjoyed a walking tour around the walls, so the kids are really looking forward to being part of such a huge local event.”
“Ógras is an Irish language youth organisation with youth clubs based throughout the country, and each year they attend the Oireachtas Irish Language Festival for a three day celebration of Irish culture, from sports to dancing. “We take part in the Oireachtas parade every year, so this year it’s great to take part in something different and the kids are all looking forward to dressing up as zombies for the parade,” Rionach said.
“We’ll stay in the city and spend Hallowe’en day in Derry sightseeing, watching the fireworks and enjoying the craic in the city centre. We’ve heard so much about the carnival and hope to catch as many of the events as we can while we’re in the city. So watch out for us in the parade – we’ll be the Irish-speaking zombies!”
For more information about all the events taking place in the city this Hallowe’en go www.derrycity.gov.uk/Halloween or follow the festival on Facebook at www.facebook.com/banksofthefoylehalloweencarnival
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