Spirits held up as well as the umbrellas

 

 

Never mind the weather: David Rea of Celtic Steps and his troupe of musicians and dancers, with MC Kieran Healy, making the most of the terrible conditions

 

Donal Dowd (right) and Colm O’Halloran at the opening ceremony

 

Rain Dance: Peig O’Connor of Celtic Steps,takes a break from performing

 

Mark Clifford of Celtic Steps

 

Conor Hennigan provided shelter for Mayor of Killarney Cllr Niall Kelleher at the festival launch

 

Let it rain: Pupils from MACademy performing a scene from Frozen

The rain did its level best to play spoilsport but patrons of the Wander Wild Festival in Killarney are a resilient bunch and the street party atmosphere continued as planned for the grand opening ceremony outside the town hall on Friday evening.

Musicians, dancers and outdoor enthusiasts kept the spirits up – as well as the umbrellas –  as Killarney became the country’s adventure capital for the entire weekend with super activities lined up from early morning until late at night.

This Saturday there was an early morning sauna experience at Dundag lake beach and the more adventurous enjoyed a trek to the summit of Carrauntoohil, via the Devil’s Ladder, or a kayak tour on the lakes.

The younger generation loved a musical masterclass based on the hit movie Frozen and a Gruffalo adventure hunt while an animal roadshow at the Anam Arts and Cultural Centre proved a big hit.

Other fun activities this Saturday included a guided cycle in the national park, foodie tours, pilates, reflexology and yoga sessions, boat tours, forest walks, interactive fun and games and exhibitions.

The premiere screenings of the documentary Unsinkable – the story of lan Corcoran’s 500km length of Ireland sea swim –  and 1000km of Chaos which charts the incredible adventures of Killarney man Kevin Leahy were held in St Mary’s Church of Ireland while he festival will hit a real high note this Saturday night when Mundy and guests take to the stage in St Mary’s Church of Ireland.

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