Rathangan's first Springsteen festival was a massive success

THE FIRST annual Féile Springsteen took place in Rathangan on Saturday 22 August, with music, talks, historical tours, art exhibitions, film screenings, competitions and other activities celebrating Bruce Springsteen and his ancestral links to the town.

Organisers have hailed the inaugural festival a major success, with visitors travelling from across Ireland and overseas to take part. Around 15 people travelled from Spain for the event, while other visitors also came from London, Wexford, Cork and Northern Ireland.

The festival began at 11am with a talk in Rathangan Library called Bruce Springsteen: rooted in Rathangan, presented by county librarian and musician Mario Corrigan. The talk proved so popular that a second session was added, with organisers praising Mr Corrigan and library staff for accommodating the additional demand.

The talk explored the Irish side of Springsteen’s family history and the story of his great-great-grandmother Ann Garrity, who, aged just 14, left Rathangan with her younger sisters aboard the SS Arctic to join her family in Freehold, New Jersey.

Another highlight was the guided walking tour, Ann Garrity’s Rathangan, led by noted historian Larry Fullam. Around 50 people took part, visiting locations connected with Ann Garrity’s story and learning about Rathangan as it would have been in 1853.

There was also plenty of lighter entertainment throughout the day, including a Bruce Springsteen lookalike competition.

Music was at the heart of the evening, with Rathangan’s own Hot Cross Dunnes opening proceedings at The Village Pump before Ireland’s first dedicated Bruce Springsteen tribute act, The Human Touch, took to the stage at around 10pm and played late into the night.

The festival was organised by volunteers from the Rathangan Freehold Twinning Association, many of whom were balancing preparations with work and other commitments.

Organiser Sheila Knightly from the Rathangan Freehold Twinning Committee spoke about the event’s success: “We are all volunteers. A lot of us are working and busy, but everybody pulled out all the stops and we got it together,” she said.

A particularly special moment came in the form of a video message from The Boss himself.

With the inaugural festival now successfully completed, organisers have confirmed that Féile Springsteen will return next year.