Skyfest facts for kids
Skyfest was a super exciting yearly fireworks show in Ireland. It always had cool music playing in the background, put together by a DJ named Mark McCabe. This big event was part of the yearly St. Patrick's Festival!
For many years, Skyfest happened in Dublin, the capital city. But then it started moving around! In 2008, it went to the amazing Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. In 2009, it was held in Waterford, and in 2010, it lit up the sky in Limerick. The last one was on March 19, 2011, in Wexford. Lots of people watched it live on TV on RTÉ One, and it was sponsored by the National Lottery. Sadly, Skyfest was cancelled in 2012.
The History of Skyfest
Skyfest first started in Dublin and stayed there until 2006. The show planned for 2007 in Dublin was going to be the last one in the capital, and about 200,000 people were expected to come! But it had to be cancelled because of really bad weather.
In 2008, Skyfest moved to a new, famous spot: the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. This was a big change for the event!
Skyfest in Waterford (2009)
In 2009, Skyfest came to Waterford for the very first time. It started at 6:30 PM on March 14. The fireworks lit up the sky over the city's quays (the riverside walkways) along the River Suir. Organizers thought about 50,000 people would come, but way more showed up! Close to 100,000 people came to watch the show.
There was also live music from the Irish folk and world music band Kíla, and a local drum group called Torann. DJ Mark McCabe also played his music mix, which included songs from famous bands like U2, Enya, and Kings of Leon. Just like always, the event was shown live on RTÉ One. Derek Mooney and Laura Woods were the TV presenters, and Laura Woods also hosted a special National Lottery draw from Waterford.
The Skyfest in Waterford was a huge success, bringing in over 100,000 people. This was the biggest crowd for Skyfest outside of Dublin! The show in Limerick later attracted about 50,000 people.
In 2011, the event was held in Wexford. As we know, Skyfest was cancelled in 2012.
How Skyfest Was Organized
Planning for Skyfest was a big job and usually took almost a whole year! For the 2009 fireworks show in Waterford, a team of 26 people from a British company called Pains Fireworks set up a massive amount of fireworks. They placed 2.69 tonnes of fireworks along the city's quays. That's a lot of fireworks!
About 130 volunteers also helped out with all the work. The show involved setting off around 4,000 colorful "shots" over the area. These fireworks lit up famous landmarks like Rice Bridge, the Odlum silos, the spire of the Sacred Heart Church, and the tower of Saint Mary's Abbey.
Mark McCabe, who works for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) – the TV channel that showed the event live – put together the background music for Skyfest every year since 2005. Even though he created the music, he only got to see the fireworks show live for the first time in 2009, with his fiancée, Joanna Hammond.
