First Ever Killarney Mountain Festival

 

Recommend this goes in the calendar for next year.  Twinned with the Kendal Mountain Festival, it had lots of outdoor films ( full length and short) in the cinema, and guest speakers such as Andy Cave, Stephen Venables, Dawson Stelfox, Dermott Somers, and Cameron McNeish.  All very entertaining, and nearly too much on, in fact.  There was a big circus tent at the back of the hotel which was designated as ‘Base Camp’ with stalls from gear shops, Scouting Ireland, Mountain Rescue, Mountaineering Ireland, and a café where people could meet and chat.   We were able to park the van overnight free in the car park beside the big top, within 200m of all the venues, and handy for all the town centre bars and restaurants.  Cameron McNeish lecture on Friday night.

 

Had a good morning out on Mangerton on Saturday and made it back for the match ( satisfactory result) then straight off to the screening of Sikkim Dreams’ in the cinema*, then straight back to the hotel for a lecture on the Alpine North faces by Dawson, Dermott and Tom Curtis ( very Funny) then Andy Cave.

 

*Gutted I wasn’t nominated for best supporting actor.  Had me acceptance speech written, but some old geezer called Attenborough pipped me at the post apparently.  Sooo unfair.

 

Sunday we went up Carrauntoohil from Cronins Yard.  Not much snow left, but we met David and Agnes, facebook CCC members, and did the mountain with them.

 

Another awesome mountain film at night, and home on Monday.

 

It’s a good time to go to Kerry, the best county in Ireland I think.

Well done to the organisers, a huge effort!