Third Lady Well Fete to take place in grounds of Slane Castle

The third annual Lady Well Fete at Slane Castle will take place this Sunday, 15th August. The date has been celebrated for centuries in Slane as the day that the water of the Lady Well, which rises in an opening in the woodland of the Slane Castle Demesne, is deemed to be holy. Thousands of people make the journey to the woods every year to drink from the well and, traditionally, a fete was held in the adjoining field below the castle. The local community revived the fete three years ago as a fundraising venture for village projects and this year's event also forms part of the festivities being held in the village this year to celebrate Slane Village's 250th anniversary. The organising committee is putting a huge effort in to make this year's event even more enjoyable than last year's great success. All the proceeds will go towards local causes such as the Red Cross and enhancing the historic estate village and protecting its charming Georgian appeal. Projects completed so far in 2010 include the erection of traditional street signs in the village and the production of a tourism brochure. The events are community-driven with sporting fixtures including local senior past masters and junior GAA games and junior soccer. For children, there will be a race car track, a magician, jugglers, face-painting and a Punch & Judy show. Other activities will include a coconut shy, vintage cars, gun-dog and fly-fishing demonstrations, hot air balloons and tours of the castle. The fete will also include a country market with a wide selection of food, arts and crafts and a duck derby with generous prizes. The day kicks off at 2pm and admission is free for pedestrians with a nominal charge for cars of €5. For those who are coming by car, the entrance to the car park is on the N51 Slane-Navan road, just beyond the castle gates on the left-hand side, if coming from Slane village. Food and toilets will be available and no alcohol will be served on site. Lord Alex Mount Charles said: "I am delighted to be involved in the Lady Well Fete again this year. We had a great event last year and excellent feedback from those who attended. "August the 15th has always been an important day for my family with the holy water at the Lady Well and it is a genuine pleasure to be able to celebrate this as a community in the castle grounds."