'Facefest' set for Charleville Castle

With social media becoming ever more important in our lives, organisers behind a festival set for Tullamore next month are hoping friends will leave down their phones and laptops and catch up with each other in real life.

‘Facefest’ will include a mix of fun, games and music for all the family on June 21, while at the same time raising funds for the Charleville Castle Heritage Trust.

“It was the whole virtual side of things of Facebook that we were speaking of,” organiser Ian O’Flynn said, describing the birth of the idea for ‘Facefest’ in February 2012. A conversation with Ally O’Flynn at that time looked at the irony of something designed as a social network coming to mean that many people actually end up never meeting up in reality.

“What would be better than sending a YouTube video of a band you like to a friend on Facebook?” Ian asks. “Bringing the band to Facefest and enjoying them live with your friends instead.”

Music at the festival will include ‘In The Willows’, “My Fellow Sponges’, ‘Animal Beats’, ‘Dem Fools’ and ‘Fat Baby Panda’. Other entertainment will include ‘Grove of Tranquility’ workshops, a medieval zone, the child-friendly ‘Tir na nOg’ zone, a spoken word corner and the Republic of Astronomy.

‘Facefest’ tickets cost €15 for adults and €14 for those aged twelve to 18. Anyone under twelve accompanied by an adult can enter free. More information and tickets are available at www.facebook.com/FacefestIRL