Embrace your creative side during Bealtaine
“Bealtaine is the month of May 'as Gaeilge' and it is about celebrating creativity and art for older people. All of the people here today are regular users of library services,” Deirdriu McQuaid, Senior Executive Librarian commented at Thursday morning’s launch of the Bealtaine Festival, in Carrickmacross Library.
The 2026 Bealtaine Festival in Monaghan, themed 'Lust for Life', features a month-long, interactive programme for older adults, celebrating arts and creativity through workshops, exhibitions, and performances.
Speaking in his hometown of Carrickmacross, Cathaoirleach, Cllr P.J. O’Hanlon, praised the initiative, which typically includes workshops and events such as storytelling and drama throughout the month.
A local group called The Ukulaliens, which emerged from a free class provided in th e library, performed a lively repertoire at the launch.
Seán Maguire, tutor of the ukulele group, commented: “I’m so proud of them today, I can’t believe how much they’ve come on since I seen them last."
He expressed a desire for council funding for an advanced improvers' course to "bring them to the next level".
"Hopefully they’ll [the local authority] find something down the back of the sofa to get us going again!”
Pauline O’Hagen, a group member, echoed the call for funding and praised the merits of the initiative: “Playing in The Ukelaliens is just a new lease of life. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what ailment or complaint you have; when you spend a couple of hours strumming your Ukulele, you haven’t a care in the world.”
The group now practice every Thursday morning at Teach Ui Bhriain (in the grounds of St Joseph’s Church, Carrickmacross) from 10:15am to 12 noon. “Every second Thursday we play for a group of Alzheimer’s patients (in Cloughvalley Day Care Centre). We get as much out of it as they do because they recite their poetry, dance and shout for certain songs, like Paddy McGinnity’s Goat.”
Pauline was completely new to the ukulele – “As Seán told us in the beginning, if you know three chords, you can play 100 songs.”
Jennifer Byrne of The Ukelaliens told the Celt : “The library put on free classes for us and we played here for a year before we got a new building. I love it, it’s a great way to get together. I wish they could put on more classes for adults beca use it’s a good wee group we’ve got going.”
Kathleen Lynch from Inniskeen enjoyed the event. “It was lovely to have afternoon tea in the morning with fabulous music,” adding that she enjoys the social element of events at the library. She attends the crochet and knitting group there weekly.