One of the most unusual names for a festival in Ireland has to be the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival, which takes place on the peninsula of Donabate and Portrane every September.

It takes is name from a sea cave on what is known as Lady’s Walk on the cliffs that link Donabate and Portrane. After pondering a number options based on the name of other caves on the Lady’s Walk, with such glorious names as the Priest’s Hole, local historian Peadar Bates put forward the name for the festival.And the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival goes from strength to strength. It started off in 2013 as a two-day event showcasing local artists and performers. Nine years later, it is now a 14-day event featuring national acts, performers and a short film festival. It also ties in with the Fingal County Council artists-in-residence scheme. The festival won ‘Fingal Community Group of the Year’ in 2015 and the Local Authorities’ Members’ Association awards in the arts and culture category in 2018.

As in most situations, Covid-19 disrupted the festival in 2020, but it roared back last year and in September this year.Preparations are already underway for the festival next September, and the next outing for the festival will be on March 5th 2023 when an event to celebrate International Women’s Day event is planned.