The organisers of Mallow’s Racing Home for Easter Festival are urging businesses in Mallow and the surrounding areas to once again show their support for the upcoming event on March 30th – April 3rd. This year’s festival has been extended to five days as the event is the only one in Mallow to come under the umbrella of The Gathering 2013. With family favourites such as the food and craft fair, mobile pet farm, 10km family fun cycle, staged music and amuse-ments, as well as 3 days of top class racing action at Cork Racecourse Mallow, thousands of race goers, stylish people and families from Mallow and further afield will be descending on the town for the bumper weekend.
The plans for 2013 include a completely new addition to the events programme which festival organisers are trying to keep under wraps as best they can until launch day. The big addition is the use of Mallow Castle grounds for Saturday’s entertainment including staged music and performance acts, amusements such as a climbing wall, bungee trampoline, bouncing castle, face painters, jugglers and much more.
The festival continues to grow year on year. Festival Chairperson Mary Kelly says it is the biggest way to market the town and all it has to offer. “Through our marketing of this festival, Racing Home for Easter will be on buses in Cork city, billboards in Limerick and Heuston Station in Dublin as well as on 96FM and C103 local radio here in Cork. The word that Mallow is the place to be at Easter is really getting out there”.
Despite best efforts, sponsorship is slow this year. “We have some wonderful sponsors who are more than delighted to support the event each year, but we also genuinely understand the pressures that businesses are under. This festival is growing, there is no doubt about that, and it brings in hundreds of thousands of euro to our local economy. Any and all support from local businesses, even €50 or €100 would be most appreciated”, says Mary.
The last 12 months have been extremely busy for the festival committee. The festival website racing homeforeaster.ie will be constantly updated with information for visitors, such as accommodation offers, restaurant deals, the list of events over the 5 days and what they can see and do around Mallow. “We want Mallow to be associated with Easter”, says Mary Kelly. “Families can come to our town and find free entertainment, great value accommodation packages, live music, 3 days of great racing and they are helping the local economy and to keep people in jobs too. We think it’s a win/win situation”.
The Racing Home for Easter Festival will also hold a flag day this Friday, February 22nd.
Anyone who would like to contribute to the festival can do so by contacting Mary on 022/50207 or Mallow Chamber on 022/55660.
Festival partners
and friends
One of the Festival Partners is the Mallow Primary Healthcare Centre. Opened in 2010, the 70,000 sq ft building is spread over four levels. South Doc, the GP co-op out-of-hours service, occupies part of the building and has its own entrance. The HSE occupies most of the second floor and numbers among its services a community mental health team. MPHC was named ‘Best Healthcare Building in Ireland’ at the Local Authority Members Awards last year.
MPHC is home to three general practices — The Medical Centre, The Red House Family Practice, and The Cork Road Clinic — comprising 21 GPs, all of whom, prior to the opening of MPHC in May 2010, were operating in or around Mallow. In addition to the GPs, there is the 4th Practice.
The 4th Practice consists of a range of privately run specialist services which most patients don’t have access to in their local surgery. It’s effectively a one-stop shop for patients and is open to everyone. There are also a number of new services on offer including podiatry, chiropody, a dietician, osteopathy, home care services and parenting skills.
The services on the ground floor comprising Mulcahys Pharmacy, Jill Farrell Optician, The Pain Clinic and Food Capers ensure MPHC offers the widest range of medical services possible to patients. This means that patients can be treated close to home rather than travelling. One patient Marjorie Cronin, 78, from Doneraile, loves the fact that the new centre spares her a journey to Cork city. “I had to have an ultrasound recently and, but for the new centre, I’d have had to go up to Cork. I also had to have a scan of the glands in my neck. That saved at least two trips to Cork.”
There are 25,000 patients registered with the general practices and 1,000 people a day come through the front door and with 320 car parking spaces there is no problem with access to the centre.
Another Festival Partner is ThermoSafe Brands Europe Limited, based in Quartertown. General Manager Niall Lehane says, “There’s a reason that our company chose Mallow as its European HQ and it’s terrific to see the efforts behind the festival each and every year. This event is fantastic for Mallow and the surrounding areas. It is a brilliant opportunity to put Mallow on the map and make the people of Mallow proud of their town and what it can achieve”.
Danny Finnegan and Audrey O’Riordan of Celtic Curtains and Blinds on Bridge Street are also rowing in behind the festival. “There’s no doubt that times are tough for business people but we feel it’s important to show our support for the festival. With the events planned for Mallow Castle on Easter Saturday, it’s sure to bring lots of new customers to browse the stores on Bridge Street on their way”.
Major partners of the festival for the 2013 event include Fáilte Ireland, Irish Rail, Mallow Town Council, Cork Racecourse Mallow, the Mallow/Vale Star newspaper and C103 (media partners), Mallow Chamber, Dairygold, Mallow Vintners, North Cork Enterprise Board, Mallow Primary Healthcare Centre, Knight’s Spar and Carry Out, Ballydaheen, Kostal, ThermoSafe Brands Europe Ltd and Dano’s Centra, Spa Glen.
Friends of the festival: Mallow Development Partnership, Blackwater Valley Tourism, ITW Hi-Cone, QiFA Financial, Dermot Casey Tree Care, O’Connell’s Funeral Home, McDonald’s, Aunty Nellie’s Sweet Shop, Longueville House Hotel, Sheehan’s Butchers, Springfort Hall Hotel and Café, Tom Barry TD, Minister Sean Sherlock, Lucey’s Good Food Shop, Jim O’Doherty Auto Parts, Lyons’ Shoes, Mallow Golf Club, Apache Pizza and Peppers Restaurant, Park West Flowers, Crafted Fitted Furniture, Susan Brennan Head First Hat Hire, Foley’s Supermarket, Mallow Golf Club, Profectus Coaching, Country Lifestyle, Mallow Library Staff, Celtic Curtains, DK O’Brien Properties.