You could pass through Keshcarrigan, spot the pretty bridge, maybe the quirky beer garden, the thatched roof and well-kept flower beds and not realise how much more there is to the village, how many hidden gems it holds.

You might not realise it is nestled between two lakes with picnic and swimming spots on the shores of one and a marina for boats and campervans and camping spots on the other. You definitely wouldn’t know that the marina even had the perfect space for our Slow Bicycle Race.

As you passed through you wouldn’t see the colourful beer garden of Tailor McKeons where we feasted on delicious curries and stews and prettied up our bikes ready for the Launch Parade led by the local Kiltubrid Pipe Band.

You might not spot the astropitch, built by the community, fundraised for many years and now fully in their ownership – an amenity for all, especially in the winter when teams come from neighbouring villages to play on the mud-free pitch – and ideal for the ‘AstroKids’ event where locals James and Niall kept the kids enthralled with giant jenga, obstacle courses and penalty shootouts.

You might not spot the Old Barracks with its beautiful crocheted bicycles, another space the community have worked hard to secure as a resource for all. And as part of the festival we were lucky enough to host the first public community event there: a workshop with local author Maria Hoey, a joyful celebration of the magic of poetry and cycling.

Hidden within the village is also the undulating fairgreen, where Fuinseog Woodland Crafts set up a whole host of their beautifully created Bemusement Games in between the campers, and the ideal stage for Tara Boath Mooney’s Hawthorn Workshop – a bringing together of hawthorn tea, storytelling with local farmer and author Gerry Bohan, hagstones, music, writing and songs.

Travelling on the main roads through Keshcarrigan you would definitely not experience the network of blossom-lined ‘rothar roads’ that surround the village taking us up and down hills, past mythical sites, heritage sites and stunning viewing points.

And what you definitely wouldn’t see as you pass through is the community spirit of the village. The generosity of those that live there. The support for each other. Their dedication to making it a place people aspire to live, work and visit.

From the very first meeting we had with Keshcarrigan Development Association in Tailor McKeons, the chair Paddy McGreevey and the rest of the crew arrived with plans and ideas, an unfaltering can-do attitude and copious amounts of tea and biscuits. The perfect mix for getting stuff done. Some, like Jeanette and Lorna have been part of the development association for over 35 years and aren’t done yet.

And that generosity and thoughtfulness never stopped. Even on the Sunday morning of the festival, Paddy woke up in his tent in the fairgreen where he had camped with his nieces and nephews and realized that given the heat we would need a water stop on our cycle. And so he met us at the top of Sheebeg with much-appreciated water and oranges. Paddy even thought of bringing bowls for the panting dogs!

After the Community Cycle For All around the lake on the Saturday (and our biggest turnout yet!) – brilliantly organised by Eoin, led by James and stewarded by many other locals – we arrived at our picnic spot for sandwiches, crisps, fruit and water, all generously donated by Dessie of Gertie’s Canal Stop and Mel of Tailor McKeons and Leanna’s Lodge. And free ice-creams were handed out to all the kids thanks to a brilliant last minute organisation by April from Peas & Beans café.

It’s difficult to find the words to describe the welcoming community of Keshcarrigan or the fun we had cycling from camping spot to swim spot to festival event to another feast in the pubs and back again. 

There were so many other parts to the festival too for which we are so grateful – the generosity of Dave Price who volunteered two full days of free boat tours on his Shannon Queen, Lough Allen Adventure Centre who ran free kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding, Tadhg Moran of Moran’s Bike Shop who volunteered again to run a Dr Bike session, the brilliance of the Gamesmaster challenges created by Jennie and Phil, the fun of the quiz written by Liam and Carmel and mce’d by Niall, Mat running the Cyclimpics and the Slow Bicycle Race, the willingness of Seamus Gibbons of Electric Bike Trails to literally go the extra mile so that one of the mums could take her little one on the community cycle, the quiet concentration as Duncan Warner of Nature Base in Galway, led a wonderful activity for kids and adults extracting natural dyes from buttercups, clovers and leaves, John the retired guard whizzing up and down on his electric bike to check everyone was happy, Hamish opening Gertie’s early for cups of tea, Tailor McKeons producing meals even when the kitchen was closed, the bicycles propped on every wall, the miles so many people travelled to join us… the list goes on and on.

As Sandra, a first-time festival goer from Dublin said ‘I will definitely be coming back to the festival and to Keshcarrigan. And telling my friends about this beautiful place!’

We definitely had the ‘smile factor’ that Paddy hoped for and as April said ‘the village was buzzing…what a lovely bunch of people…just phenomenal’

So next time you pass through a village like Keshcarrigan, stop and take some time to explore – on your bicycle if you can – you never know what hidden gems you might find!

Huge thanks as always to all of our generous sponsors and supporters – Leitrim Sports Partnership, Leitrim Tourism, Leitrim Country Council and the Irish Environmental Network.