THE Limerick Wild Geese Festival took off in spectacular fashion once again this past weekend, commemorating the exodus of nearly 20,000 Irish soldiers and their families to France following the 1691 Treaty of Limerick, known as the Flight of Wild Geese.
The festival was founded in 2019 by Loïc Guyon, Honorary Consul of France in Limerick and each year hosts a variety of historic and cultural events and talks.
Now in its fifth year, food and drink played a large part of this year’s festival in fine French fashion, with a whiskey tasting evening, as well as the festival highlight – a Wild Geese themed banquet at the refurbished LYPMA bulding on O’Connell Street boasting a six-course meal prepared by chef George Casey, and a performance by soprano Eve Stafford.
French Ambassador to Ireland, Vincent Guerand, also attended celebrations on Shannonside, accompanied by Mayor John Moran.
The festival also saw entertainment from French-American singer Zoé Basha and the Lorcán Mac Mathúna Trio, traditional Irish dance and martial arts displays in the Hunt Museum Gardens, as well as a parade of re-enactors and veteran associations led by the City of Limerick Pipe Band.
This year, the Sarsfield statue gate on Cathedral Place in Limerick City was also reinstated during the festivities, honouring patriot and military hero Patrick Sarsfield, who left for France following the Treaty of Limerick.
Festival founder and honorary consul Loïc Guyon said the annual festival “has become since 2019 one of the highlights of the summer in the Treaty City”.
