1963 theme for tenth Offaly Bealtaine festival

Offaly's Bealtaine festival has a swinging sixties surprise up its sleeve this year. The tenth Bealtaine festival is set to take place in May 2013, and to mark the occasion and connect with more people the festival is taking as its theme the year 1963. All of Offaly's active, free-thinking, young at heart over 55s are now being invited to join the movement and make the 2013 Bealtaine festival the most memorable one to date. Organised locally by the Arts and Library Services of Offaly County Council, Birr Theatre and Arts Centre and active retirement groups around the county, Bealtaine is a national festival which celebrates creativity in older age. The national theme this year is 'Grow Happy' - a call to celebrate growth, spring and positivity for ourselves and our communities. Offaly arts officer Sinead O'Reilly said the national theme is being embraced but also expanded on in Offaly to connect with as many people as possible. "Last year we undertook an evaluation of Bealtaine in Offaly, knowing that we were coming up to our tenth year and realising that we needed to take a fresh look," she said. "The festival has great participation among active retirement groups and care centres, but beyond that, many people over 55 are not connecting with the festival. When we looked at the demographics of the county, we realised that only eight per cent of those over 55 are involved in retirement groups, while the majority of people over 55 who are working and active don't consider that they are in older age, so we need to find a way to make the festival more accessible." In 1963 important social and political milestones were achieved, which needless to say impacted on cultural development, nationally and internationally. Martin Luther King delivered his 'I have a dream' speech to over 250,000 in Washington DC and Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. "It is hoped that looking back at this era will inspire people to explore how far we have come culturally and socially," Ms O'Reilly said. Individuals and groups are now being encouraged to share their ideas and let organisers know what would inspire them to be more involved with Offaly's Bealtaine festival. "You could organise an event during the festival, such as a reunion evening of jiving to rock 'n roll favourites, a show band night, an exhibition of 1960's jive dresses (there must some out there!) a screening of Cleopatra (the Oscar winner of 1963), a reinactment scene from The Great Escape with your local drama group or an Andy Warhol inspired Pop Art exhibition with your local art group," Ms O'Reilly said. More information on Bealtaine festival is available by calling Offaly arts office on 057 9357400 or visiting your local library.