It was a miracle that the rain held off, as families from all communities gathered for fun and dancing at Claremont Stadium in Navan last Saturday for the Meath Intercultural Family Festival.
The Punjabi Dancers were one of the highlights in a day full of colour and rhythm. Ladies in traditional African costume were game for some ceili lessons and received a rapturous round of applause for their attempt at The Walls of Limerick. Meanwhile, the Laytown Gospel Choir and the tribal beats of the African Drummers entertained the crowds.
Ethnic food, Chinese dancing, archery, fire juggling, bouncy castles, martial arts displays and rapping contests involved all, with many people joining in the activities on the spot – including some good old fashioned sack races.
The Mini World Cup was remarkable in that the winning team, Just For Fun, was made up of just one family, the Reilly’s – from various branches of cousins, uncles and brothers. Runners-up were Navan Athletic, who were pleased with their performance and didn’t make too much out of the fact that the referee was also a Reilly.
There was also much love from the crowd for the guest presenter of the day, Paul McGrath. Cups and prizes were presented by McGrath, and they seemed all the more valuable for having been accepted from his hands. People young and old lit up in his presence and he was genuinely happy to be part of the day’s events.
Christy Reilly, proud mayor of Navan (and no relation to the winning team), told Metro Eireann: “The population of Navan has exploded in the past few years. There are nearly a hundred different nationalities living and working in Navan now. We are delighted to see all nationalities contributing to life here.
“Events like this help to break down barriers and help us realise that under the skin we are more similar than different. We just need to appreciate the similarities and understand the differences.”
