Lughnasa Fair

I have finally got round to posting some pictures of the Lughnasa Fair at Carrick Castle. I love these medieval type fairs because there are always lots of characters to take pics of but the one at Carrick is one of my favourites because the location is just so lovely. I made a scrapbook layout from this years pics as I know I definitely want to get it printed out so it can go in my 2009 book.

The fair was full of things to do. There were people dressed up as medieval characters, children's entertainers, art & craft workshops, archery and birds of prey demonstrations, face painting, acrobats, story telling, street theatre and of course plenty of stalls selling local crafts, speciality foods, coffee & tea and a mouth watering range of snacks. Unfortunately I left it too late in the day to get something tasty and all the strawberries & cream crepes were gone!

Carrickfergus Castle

I mentioned in my last post that I had been to the Lughnasa Fair at Carrickfergus Castle so I thought I would post some images of the castle today. I am photoshopping some of the shots of the fair and I will post these tomorrow but for now here is the castle.

Carricfergus Castle is here on a map and here is a picture of it from Google Earth.

The castle is over 800 years old and is now under the care of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. It sits in the town of Carrickfergus at a strategic position on the shores of Belfast Lough.
Carrick castle was built by John de Courcy but has been added to and altered over the centuries. It is now open to the public and hosts many events throughout the year. The banqueting hall has been restored and there are many displays throughout the castle to show what life was like in medieval times.

You can hire the castle for special events such as weddings, and birthday parties can also be held there. I think you can also get married in the chapel, which is extremely small and would only provide enough room for 2-3 people. I remember when I was a teenager they used to run medieval banquets which were very popular but I don't think they do them now - pity though, that would be fun!