Celebrating the Three Provinces

Running for over 10 years, the Arva Three Province Festival is celebrated annually in Arva, where the provinces of Ulster, Leinster and Connacht meet.

The festival is a family fun week with mostly free events running in the town for children and adults alike.

“It’s a week long family festival,” explained Grainne McDonnell, chairperson of the festival committee, still buzzing from the success of the recent event.

It began on Saturday July 29 with an opening ceremony on the Market Square with fireworks, music display and a march from the juvenile players from Carrigallen, Arva and Dromard football clubs.

“They all have their province flags,” she said, explaining that they walk from the direction of their county and meet in the middle of the town at the square where the flags are raised.

“It’s a lovely evening,” she said.

Martial arts classes, kayaking with Cavan Adventure centre on the town lake, rafting, paddle boarding, art workshops, the Arva market, table quizzes, with Arva Agricultural Show and the Breffni Challenge all take place throughout the week.

New this year to the festival was a visit form the Irish Air Corps in Michael Cully Park, an Arva Tasting in the Brewery, where local businesses brought their produce and Banging Bingo, bingo playing to disco music. The festival finished on Sunday, August 6.

“We don’t have a charge as such on any of those events,” Gráinne explained, adding that they run the festival on donations only.

“It was a packed week and it brought great crowds into the town.”

Exhausted from this year’s festival activities, planning for next year’s 3 Province Festival has not begun yet. However Gráinne said they always aim to make it “bigger and better every year”.