Pecker Dunne Festival to be held annually?

By Dan Walsh in Wexford town

Over a thousand people attended the inaugural Pecker Dunne Music Festival at St. Peter’s Square in Wexford town on Saturday. Organisers described the event as successful, claiming that it exceeded their expectations.

Melanie Cleary, one of the architects of the festival, said that the organising committee had been overwhelmed by the generosity and goodwill of the people of Wexford.

“When we planned this event little over four weeks ago, we had planned a small intimate affair but with the outpouring of love for Pecker, it naturally led to a much greater larger event and we are so thrilled that this will now be an annual festival – bigger and even better,” stated Ms. Cleary.

Michael Fortune of Folklore.ie, another organiser, said that it was ‘a positive community event’. He noted the number of tourists attending, including two women from Newfoundland.

Wally O’Neill of local bookshop Red Books and part of the committee said the festival was further proof of the incredible potential of Wexford town for cultural tourism on the same level as Galway or Kilkenny.

“Wexford has something special that is absence in many other towns. People travelled from all over the country for this festival. It is the perfect tonic for those who would try to talk the town down and spread negativity and proof that Wexford is a great place to live, to do business and to visit,” added Mr. O’Neill.

The organising committee, comprising Cllr Tom Forde, Melanie Cleary, Stephen Dunne, Matt Murphy, Pippi Firman, Cllr Aoife Rose O’Brien, Michael Fortune, Deirdre McGarry, Eoin Firman, Deborah Doyle, Kieran O’ Brien and Wally O’Neill were eager to thank  the Dunne family, the musicians who took part, Wexford County Council, Darlex Risk Management, Practical Printers, Cllr Leonard Kelly, Cllr Jackster Owens and Cllr Jim Codd for their support.