Longford set for a festive weekend with Yuletide Festival

Granard Motte Community Enterprise Clg celebrate another successful year and Knights and Conquests manager Déirdre Orme lists 2024 as one of the busiest years to date.

Knights and Conquests has firmly established itself as one of Longford Tourism’s key visitor attractions in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, but one of the standout moments of 2024 for Déirdre and the crew has to be claiming a national title for Longford at ‘Bloom’ in the Phoenix park last June.

Déirdre explained “To represent our region at an internationally acclaimed festival was a huge honour. To see and hear the interest in our heritage and ancient landscape is inspirational.

We grasp every opportunity to showcase our region on the national stage. We’re a not for profit organisation and at it’s core the Knights and Conquests centre is a community social enterprise charity; hosting community festivals, providing children’s creative and educational camps, sensory tours, language classes, writing workshop space and historical talks, to name but a few. That’s what we’re most proud of.''

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"This year, we’ve but the call out to all stallholders to be part of our Yuletide gathering. We’ve some amazing people supporting our event this Saturday.

We’ve a few different offerings at this year’s fair; ‘KraftyFox’ unique pebble and sea-glass art by Melanie, ‘Craic agus Crochet’ by Catherine and Vincent, Floral Creations by Elaine and our ever popular and long time supporters will return- Beata’s Art and Crafts, our most talented photographer Lissette Carcamo, Jane, Aoife and Sarah McSherry and our blacksmith friend Ross of ‘Forged Nature’ and many more.

Our V.I.P. guest, travelling from the North Pole, will be arriving by sleigh at 12.30. So, best get down early. Santa Claus will be at Knights and Conquests in his log cabin for private visits until 2.30pm. Yes, there is a rumour that the Grinch has been spotted in Granard and is planning a visit to the Knights and Conquests Yuletide Fair this Saturday, December 7.

Better watch out when the Grinch is about! Don't miss the fun and festivities at Knights and Conquests.

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The Yuletide Fair commences at 12 noon until 5pm this Saturday. The Bailey Café will be serving tasty dinners and festive treats throughout the day. On Sunday, the official switching-on of the Christmas lights will have Granard aglow and all set for Christmas 2024.