June 21 – 23  2019

Drumsna

Leitrim Cycling Festival is a weekend of cycles, walks, film, art, music, food, camping and exploring the locality.

The festivities are all organised by people with a passion for bikes, building communities and showcasing all that this beautiful county has to offer.

All events will be happening in and around the wonderful Drumsna Community Resource Centre.

Camping available – email leitrimcyclingfestival@gmail.com to book

All of the activities are FREE of charge!

Friday 21st June

6pm Art competition exhibition, prize giving, tea & cake

This year’s festival will launch with an exhibition of all the wonderful posters designed by primary school kids. The Art Competition involves designing a poster showing the routes that kids enjoy cycling. The routes can be of any cycle route they enjoy – cycling to their friends house, their school, their grannies, around their garden…anywhere!

On the posters we want to see all the things they pass on their cycle routes such as trees, hills, lakes, houses, churches, birds and animals.

Maybe your poster might inspire someone to come and cycle your favourite route too!

For more details contact:
leitrimcyclingfestival@gmail.com / crankandcog@gmail.com

Deadline is not until the 15^th June so get designing!

7pm Screening of Jimmy’s Hall with popcorn

Jimmy’s Hall is a 2014 drama film directed by Ken Loach and filmed in Leitrim. The title refers to a rural dance hall built by Gralton in his home town of Effrinagh just a few miles from Drumsna.

 Jimmy’s Hall tells the true story of Leitrim farmer Jimmy Gralton, the only Irishman deported from his own country. His crime was to build a dance hall where he encouraged the local community to learn, to argue and to dream, but above all to dance and have fun. As the hall grew in popularity its free-spirited reputation brought it to the attention of the church and politicians who forced Jimmy to flee and the hall to close.

A decade later, at the height of the Depression, Jimmy returns from the US. The hall stands abandoned but as Jimmy sees the poverty and growing oppression in the village, the leader and activist within him is stirred. He decides to reopen the hall, and so takes on the established authorities of the church and the government.

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

9pm Music in McLoughlin’s Bar

Enjoy The Knotted Chords – a two piece sister act from the sunny south east. They sing cover songs and originals with beautiful harmonies and play a variety of instruments.

 

Saturday 22nd June

9am – Breakfast* in Duignan’s

A good start to the day!

• Full Leitrim Breakfast – rashers, sausage, black + white pudding, egg, boxty, tomato and toast with tea/coffee – €8
• Scrambled eggs on toast with tea/coffee – €5

Breakfast must be ordered before 8pm on Friday 21st – pop in to Duignan’s or give them a call on 071-9624703 / 087 9775301.

All morning – Bike rides

Choose from a variety of suggested rides of varying lengths all starting and ending in Drumsna – there is the Drumshanbo loop (which takes you along the canal and the ‘snake across the lake’ boardwalk), the Carrick-on-Shannon loop, the Sheemore hop (which can include a quick climb up Sheemore for stunning views of Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo), the Jamestown jaunt and more.

These are self-led rides so you choose the time of departure, the pace, the snack breaks and where and when to stop for photos of lovely Leitrim!

11.30am Walk through Wildflower area

The wonderful Drumsna Tidy Towns Committee have been instrumental in making Drumsna the beautiful village that it is today. One of their many, many projects was the creation of a wildflower area along the quay. Come and discover what they have planted, what the local bees are enjoying and what you could also plant in your back garden.

12.30am Bring-Your-Own Family Picnic

Bring your sandwiches, picnic blankets, parasols, kids and neighbours for a big picnic by the Quay – the perfect way to fuel up for the afternoon activities.

For those staying in the village, Drumsna boasts not 1, but 2, shops for stocking up on all your picnic requirements.

2pm Bike Art Plein Air with local artist, Kate Murtagh-Sheridan

Bike poses! Group art collaborations! Who knows what we will create!

Join us for this bicycle inspired art workshop and bring home your very own masterpiece!

2 – 5pm Bike displays

Our range of bikes to display increases every year.

This year, alongside the unicycle, cargo bike, littlebig bike, tandem and fully-loaded touring bikes will be a hand-built solar powered bicycle.

Peter Schneider, a former technical advisor for SEI/SEAI, has built his own solar-powered bicycle and will be on hand to answer all your technical questions.

Drumsna is home to many amazing people. Amongst them is the legend that is Jim Gannon who has hand built the most beautiful, handmade, wooden bicycles – a three-wheeler, a boneshaker and a his and her’s high nellies!

3pm Basic Bike Maintenance

Many of us love our bikes but just don’t have the knowledge to give them the TLC they deserve.

If you fancy learning more about how to look after the amazing machine that is your bicycle come along to this session and see how to keep it running smoothly for years to come.

4pm Cycle Training & Bike Olympics

Learn the basics, improve your skills and take part in the Bike Olympic challenges! Follow the leader, ring of fire, weaving through obstacles and more!

All ages welcome.

5pm Annual Slow Bicycle Race

The Slow Bicycle Race is fast becoming a defining event in the Leitrim Cycling Festival programme. The rules are simple but the challenge is anything but.

Are you up for it?!

All ages welcome.

6pm Food & Screening of ‘Why we cycle’

Join us for food in Drumsna Community Centre, prepared by the amazing Rob & Mairead and watch an inspiring documentary that discovers the hidden effects of cycling.

There are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands, but the Dutch don’t seem to notice what a special bike culture they have. Going beyond the obvious health and economic benefits of cycling, “Why We Cycle” explores the egalitarian nature of cycling, as well as its less-obvious effects on a city’s planning and development, its residents, and society as a whole.

8pm Ceili in Duignan’s

Join us for a few jigs and reels in Duignan’s bar.

10pm DJ Fuzzz Rock and DJ Sweetcup

Global sounds for your dancing pleasure!

 

Sunday 23rd June

9am Annual cyclist’s breakfast

Waking up to the smell of a campfire fry-up has got to be one of the best things ever! The amazing Rob & Mairead will be cooking up a storm for us again with their annual cyclist’s breakfast.

More Bike Rides

It’s time for more cycling!

Choose another of the suggested routes or discover your own!

11am Bike Decorating

Bring yourself and your bike along to get dressed up for the vintage parade.

We will bring the materials – all you need is your imagination!

12am Guided walk through the historical village of Drumsna

Discover the hidden history of this wonderful village with local historian Noel Duignan.

2pm Tea & biscuits

Join us for the official close of the Leitrim Cycling Festival.

Have a cup of tea with new and old friends. Reminisce about the weekends festivities.

Make plans for future cycles.

Share ideas.

Swop addresses.

Chat about what we can all do to get more people to enjoying cycling more often…

4pm Welcome Jimmy Gralton

This year’s festival coincides with the first ever Jimmy’s Homecoming Festival – a festival to celebrate Jimmy Gralton and all that he represents.

Welcome Jimmy in your dance hall regalia and join the vintage parade as it travels through Drumsna.

 

Let the festivities continue….

Then either ride on to Effrinagh for the Jimmy’s Homecoming Festival where there will be food, jazz, dancing at the crossroads and more.

Or, stay longer in Drumsna for the annual Summer Solstice Bring Your Own BBQ & Bonfire at the Quay at 8pm.