Muckno Mania

Best Tourism Event Finalist - Monaghan Business & Tourism Awards

Muckno Mania is a family-fun festival held in Castleblayney in July every year. It first started as a one-day event in 1999, so it is now in its 27th year. With huge longevity on its side, it is now very much embedded in and is part of the fabric of Castleblayney. The festival named Muckno Mania after nearby scenic Lough Muckno started with a ‘let’s see how it goes’ take and it has developed over the years to what now is a three-day festival over an entire weekend in July of each year.

Muckno Mania has a diverse offering with something for everyone from young and old and has a distinct family focus, which is at the heart of the festival.

According to Festival Chairperson Stephen Fitzpatrick, the one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a volunteer with the committee is that each year you see young kids grow and get involved in different activities that they put on.

“They enjoy it,” Stephen says with the festival going on for so long and being such a success, that there are now adults returning with their children who had enjoyed the festival as children themselves. “That’s what particularly makes Castleblayney unique in terms of that community buy-in, the support that the community give to the festival each year.”

The festival is completely not-for-profit. The organising committee collaborate with the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District and with huge support from local businesses through sponsorship and with some fundraising, it managed to charge as little as possible for everything at the festival.