Crossroads Ceili

 

Every year Kilconly holds it annual Crossroads Ceili Festival on the first week end in May. The first "Kilconly Crossraods Dancing Festival" was held in 1992. It originated initially as a fund raising option to enable Kilconly to build a community centre with out drawing loans from banks. It started as a one-day event with an old style crossroads ceili and a fun cycle from Galway to Kilconly. After its initial success it developed into a weekend event. The fun cycle was dropped in favour of a higher profile long distance cycle with semi-professional cyclists. As the years progressed Kilconly Parish had raised enough money to pay for its Community Centre and after a meeting of the development committee it was realised that Kilconly Crossroads Festival had built up a reputation of being one of the more enjoyable dancing festivals, with people coming back year after year. With this realisation in mind it was decided that instead of letting the Festival become a memory for people, it should be held every year and the proceeds donated to charity. In the last three years this policy has been taken. Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in this time has received £22,600 and £12,000 has been donated to the Leukaemia Trust, UCHG.