From local fundraiser to Longford's festival giant: The Marquee in Drumlish

For four days each summer, Drumlish becomes the centrepoint of one of the top ten festivals in Ireland, as thousands descend on the village for The Marquee.

What began as, and continues to be, a fundraiser for the Fr Manning Gaels GAA club, has grown into one of Longford’s most anticipated annual events, attracting big-name acts and music fans from across the country.

Behind the scenes, months of planning, preparation and hard work go into bringing the festival to life.

The end result is a testament to the commitment of Fr Manning Gaels members and a dedicated team of volunteers, with club chairperson Mike Mulleady among those involved in bringing it all together.

“There’s a lot of work in setting up and only for the good volunteers around us, there’d be no marquee in Drumlish!” he says. “There’s currently great anticipation around the place with Brave Giant coming back on the Friday night. It’s great that they’re coming back. The lads are gearing up for a big performance because it’s been a long time since they have played together.”

In terms of the numbers expected to attend, Mike adds, “Brave Giants will pull a very big crowd on the Friday they’re playing, but Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all four different nights; they’re very unique nights.”

“Saturday night is a country night and because there’ll be plenty of jiving, the attendees will need floor space so we’re hoping to have around 800 people that night. On Sunday night, you have Rhythm and Sticks followed by Jenny Green. Jenny Green is pulling in the big crowd all over the country so we’re hoping that’ll be another bumper.

On the Monday, we have the Declan Nerney gig, and this year Declan has The Tumbling Paddies with him as well as a few other guests. So you can just imagine that with the lineup Declan has on, it’s going to be a bumper night as well.”

While The Marquee at Drumlish has become known nationwide for its music and atmosphere, it remains a vital fundraiser for the Fr Manning Gaels club.

Mike says the money raised through the event goes directly back into the club’s development, with a new pitch currently getting underway and set to require significant investment and resources.

He adds, “We have big plans there at the minute and the astro pitch is the first cog in the wheel. We’re just after starting.”

“It’s not all going to Fr Manning Gaels however. Communities benefit also.”

We help out the communities in the area from Tidy Towns to the Men’s Shed, the Women’s Shed and the graveyard; all the different organisations get something out of the marquee when the marquee is over.

But as I say, it’s all down to the people that come to it and we’re delighted that we get a good crowd every year. Hopefully this year will be a repeat of other years.”

The success of the festival, he stresses, would not be possible without the army of volunteers who give their time and the support of organisations and people from across the wider community.