Spend the day at our Community Harvest Fair which is back with more delicious foodtrucks, craft stalls, community showcases, live music, demonstration and artistic activities, including a hoolahoop workshop, circle dancing, a nature mandala workshop with guest artist Mayumi Nakabayashi and plenty of live music. Also featured will be clay figure-making with Katie Goodhue, rush weaving with Gerardine Wisdom, feltmaking, Harvest Queen ‘dressing’ with Lynn Kirkham, ‘care’ message writing for our bespoke Wisdom-Salmon and apple-pressing with the Carlow Cider Collective.

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‍Meet, Eat and Greet at 5pm:

Post Harvest Fair, stick around to get into the mood for the procession with our "Meet, Eat and Greet". Prepare for the harvest procession with a bit of sustenance and then spend some time ‘jazzing up’ your outfit or making a last-minute headpiece with Elke Wilson and getting face painted! Expect to warm up with the band and be handed a musical instrument or practice a bit of chanting to get into the mood. If you have them at home, bring a long cloak in green or Autumn colours and warm up those vocal chords. There will be delicious fresh food on site all day up to the procession start with picnic tables to meet and chat!

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Harvest Procession Leaving at 7pm:

Our annual Harvest procession which will start from the Suir Island car-park from where the joyful band of revellers will be walking through town past the Main Guard, past the Gashouse bridge to Denis Burke Park. It will also include the large Wisdom Salmon, made specially this year by Lynn Kirkham of the Greenmantle carrying messages of care and wisdom, culminating in a thanksgiving ritual, collective singsong and finale Fire performance with the fantastic Rogù fire artists.  

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‍Guest Artist Mayumi Nakabayashi:

Mayumi is originally from Japan and has been living in Ireland since 1999. She creates land art and geometric patterns (mandalas) using natural
materials such as flowers, twigs and stones. What makes her work unique is the diverse materials she uses - sometimes as delicate as spider webs
and other times as dynamic as human body! Her mission is to promote the symbiotic connections all creatures on earth share. Since she is also a
therapist, she is interested in looking into the connection between wellness and creativity.
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Mayumi will be facilitating the creation of a beautiful natural mandala incorporating objects representing the bounty of the harvest season. The public is invited to join in and you may even wish to bring your own natural object along to be interwoven into Mayumi's rich mandala creation. Once the mandala is completed, Mayumi will lead a brief meditation for the community to come together and appreciate the creation.

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Guest Artist Gerardine Wisdom:

Geraldine Wisdom is a Tipperary based artist who has been working with rushes since she was 10 years old. Growing up beside Lochberg, she was fascinated by the beauty and versatility of the rushes that grew around her. Geraldine's passion for rushes goes beyond their practical uses. She makes all sorts of things like bags, baskets, mats, and hats, but it is making art with rushes that she loves the most. Whether she's helping another artist with their work or finding inspiration in the changing scenery of the lake, Geraldine's love for rushes and art is evident in everything she does.

In 2021, Applefest unveiled the rush sculpture "Brave" which will be showcased once more in the Showgrounds Shopping Centre during the festival period. Geraldine will also be demonstrating her incredible skills in rush weaving at the Harvest Fair- you might even get the opportunity to give it a go yourself!

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Guest Artist Lynn Kirkham:

Lynn is a Master Basketmaker, Multi-media Artist and Sculptor.Working mainly to commission, Lynn's Public Sculptures have become popular landmark pieces.She also makes unique creations for private collectors, art lovers and community groups.Lynn has a wide range of skills and many years experience, which she shares through courses, projects and online content. 'The Greenmantle' is Lynns Studio located in the Tipperary mountains near Templemore, Ireland. Lynn creates her artworks here, alongside growing raw materials and food in a permaculture garden.

Lynn is responsible for bringing the 'Wisdom Salmon' to life for this years Applefest Harvest Fair and Procession. The public are invited to add their messages of care and wisdom to this sculptural piece which will then be carried on the procession route and released into the river Suir. She will also be facilitating the dressing of the 'Harvest Queen'.

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