Scarecrow Festival Returning To Laois This Month

Monday, 3 July 2023 11:14

The festival runs from July 30 to August 7.

Scarecrows will be making their way back to Laois this July, for nine days.

From the 30th of July to the 7th of August the annual Durrow Scarecrow Festival will take place, featuring 40 scarecrow mammies.

These figures will showcase a range of emotions from anger to kindness, including the feared "disappointed stare" that is sure to leave an impression.

Each year, hundreds of scarecrows compete for the prestigious title of All-Ireland Champion.

From entries featuring personalities like Donald Trump and the 3 Tenors to a Scarecrow Village featuring bouncy castles, face painting, craft workshops, live entertainment, and a local food and crafts market.

The festival relies solely on volunteers time and effort.

The volunteers include people from Ukraine and Croatia, where they meet at the ICA Hall in Durrow, to look after various festival tasks such as painting, assembling scarecrows, and organising the event.

Ukrainian women have been involved in creating the Scarecrow Mammies.

Using old duvets, they have crafted intricate housecoats, showcasing sewing skills.

Among the Ukrainian participants is Irena, who, along with her daughter Kcusia, dreams of returning to their village near Borodyanka in Ukraine.

Irena works as a housekeeper and dishwasher at Durrow Castle and finds solace in the festival's creative process.

Evelyn Clancy, Chairperson of Durrow Development Forum & Festival Organiser had this to say:

“Despite the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Durrow Scarecrow Festival perseveres, thanks to the ongoing commitment of its volunteers, including fantastic support from the local Ukrainian community. That said, the number of volunteers working on the festival is at its lowest ever so we’re looking for as many people as possible to sign up to support the preparations and running of this year’s installations and events.”

“Every penny earned from the festival is reinvested into its future. Currently, the festival aims to secure €400,000 in match funding to transform the Civil Defence and ICA Hall into a state-of-the-art community hall, providing a lasting legacy for the village of Durrow.”

For more information, please visit the official website.