Festivities will commence with the launch of a ‘Seaside’ art and photography exhibition by Carmel Cleary and Sinead Ni Chionaola and a poetry reading by Aideen Henry at Tramore Coastguard Station at 7pm on Thursday September 23rd. The evening is being sponsored by Florrie’s Fine Wines and includes wine tasting and sampling.

Friday evening starts with a five course menu to showcase the best of Irish fish and its versatility at 7.pm at the Seahorse Tavern which includes a Beer tasting session hosted by the Dungarvan Brewing Company (Click here for more information). The “ Festival Special” Menu’s will be available from The Seahorse, Raglan Road, The Esquire, JD’s Steakhouse and The Pine Rooms starting at €25.00 per head. For the film buffs, a mini Surf Film Festival will take place at 7.30pm at The Vic and The Grand Hotel, both free of charge.

On Saturday September 25th, the Ladies’ Surf Weekend will commence at Oceanics Surf School. Originally set up to promote and encourage women into the sport of surfing, the Ladies’ Surf Weekend has now grown to encompass the Tramore Oceanic Surf and Sea Festival and includes a packed programme of events for all the family. For the ladies only, activities include Surfing Instruction, Indian head massage, Pilates plus an evening bar-b-que supported by Supervalu, Women in Sport Initiative, Irish Surfing Association and Oceanics Surf School followed by a night out for “the girls” which is being hosted at the Vic Bar.

Also on Saturday, a ‘Working with Willow’ workshop for children will take place at Tramore Coastguard Station at 11am costing €5 per child – where creating a Mobile with white, black & green willow with Cathy Hayden will be the theme and for the more adventurous, Waterford Rugby Club will host a Tag Rugby session for children on Tramore beach also at 11am. A homeopathy and Remedies for, from and by the Sea workshop with Maria Byrne costing €10 p/p will be running at T-Bay Surf Centre at 11am followed by a “Free” talk on Women’s Health & Nutrition which is sponsored by The Natural Health Store. Advance Booking essential for these sessions

DA historical session on ‘Old Tramore’ will take place at Tramore library with Deirdre O’Maidin at noon and Budding artists, young and not so young can book in for a “Wipeout” cartoon drawing & animation workshop for children at 12.30pm and for adults at 2.30pm an Introduction to Painting Seascapes Workshop with Openspace Arts costing €5 per person which will take place at The Coastguard Station. Places are limited so booking ahead is advisable. Jim McCarten from Rinnashark Sea Angling Club will host a “Free” Sea Angling Workshop at 2.30pm also at The Coastguard Station. A “Free” Sea Food foraging tour with Bruce MacDonald and Alan Walshe will commence from the lifeguard hut at 2.30pm.

Dermot Blount will host a half price cycling tour of the lakes leaving from T-Bay Surf Centre at 2pm, whilst ‘A Big Wave Channel Swim Talk’ with Jim Swift will take place on the decking in front. A half price Nordic Walk will leave from Freedom Surf School at 2pm. Freedom Surf School, Tramore Surf School and T-Bay Surf Centre will offer half price surf hire and lessons for kids and teens from 2pm to 4pm. Booking direct and in advance is advisable for all the above.

Transition Towns Tramore will host a Non Electrical Picnic at the Hydro Field at the back of the beach from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. This will explore ways and means of “greening” our bodies, minds and souls as well as fun events and therapies

Splashworld and Run amuck will be half price entry throughout the festival weekend and Tramore pubs and venues will be presenting live bands and entertainment for the duration.

Sunday September 26th, ‘Family Fun Day’, will commence with activities open to all from 11am onwards, located on or around the Tramore Beach area. A guided ECO Walk with Ecologist Grace O’Sullivan which will depart from Oceanics Surf School, a Monster Energy Ireland Skate Jam which kicks off at the Tramore Skate Park and Waterford Orienteers hosting a “come along and try” orienteering challenge from the car park at the beach rear, and a Beach Volleyball display all commence at 11am. Waterford Surf Lifesaving Club/ Irish Water Safety will give a demonstration of their Nipper, Junior and Senior water rescue skills from 12pm to 1pm.

The Farmers’ and Country Market on the Promenade makes a welcome return while the Tramore Cliff Rescue Team will carry out demonstrations also on the Promenade from 11am to 4pm and the Four Surf Schools in Tramore are offering half price on all their Surf Equipment Hire and on Lessons booked between the hours of 11am and 4pm.

Guided rock pool exploration with Alan Walsh will leave from the Bathing Box on Tramore beach at 1pm whilst the Classic Motor enthusiasts will be enthralled with a Classic Volkswagen Show taking place on Sunday afternoon courtesy of type2ireland.org and eircooled.com. From 12pm to 4pm Middle Earth Venture Scouts will host rock painting and popular fun and games on the Lifeguard Hut Slip.

MountainZone will be offering tips and skills on hill walking and Waterford Martial Arts will give a demonstration plus a showcase of stick fighting will take place on Tramore beach from 12pm to 2pm. Thunder Cats will demonstrate their high speed powerboat skills at 1pm from the Men’s Slip and for the pony enthusiast Lake Tour stables will be offering beach pony rides from 1pm to 3pm on the beach in front of the promenade.

The popular Klub Music will feature a ‘Battle of the Bands’ at the Pavilion from 1 to 3.30pm. Face painting for the kids by Face craft and a Latin and salsa dance workshop will also take place with everybodysalsa.com.

A Seaweed workshop focusing on the many uses of Sea Weed with the Irish Wildlife Trust will take place from 2pm to 3pm at Oceanics Surf School. Tasting, cooking with, and identification of seaweed will be included. This will be hosted by Ecologist Grace O’Sullivan, Marie Power of the Irish Wildlife Trust and Hilary Killops.

Bigsurf.ie will host a demonstration of their skills at 2pm and they will be joined by local Kite Surfers. The RNLI Irish Coastguard Helicopter will once again demonstrate their skills on Tramore beach. Following the demos at 4pm, a not to be missed local ecologist and Historian gives a talk on Tramore and it’s bathing & tourism history on the Promenade beside “Molly” the Seaweed Doll.

At 4.30pm the festival closing ceremony along the Promenade in Tramore will take place. This links back to a tradition circa 1920 in Tramore, which occurred on or around the Feast Day of St Michael. The women of the town who worked the ‘Bathing Boxes’ on the beach always held an event to celebrate both the end of the bathing season and the feast of the patron saint of seafarers. This involved the making and carrying of seaweed dolls around the town before parading the promenade and finally casting the dolls into the sea.

This tradition has been revived by the Tramore Oceanic Surf and Sea Festival and on the Sunday at the festival close, a parade will take place along the Tramore promenade culminating in the casting of a Giant Seaweed Doll into the ocean as our seaside ancestors did nearly 100 years ago. All are welcome to join in the bagpipe led parade which departs the Lifeguard station after a Sea Shanty session with the brilliant Hooks and Crooks.

As Michaelmas Day denotes an equinox and change of season, surfing conditions in Ireland improve in the new autumn/winter days, so not only does this celebration close the summer season but it also begins a whole new term for surfing and therefore extends the tourist season in Tramore beyond the traditional summer holiday period.

For Special Weekend Festival accommodation rates contact the Grand Hotel in Tramore who are offering special rates for the duration of the festival

For a listing of accommodation in Tramore www.tramoretourism.net

Press Release 1

Press Release 2

Surf and Sea Festival 2009

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