The Blue Jean Country Queen Festival, organised by Meath Macra na Feirme in collaboration with the community of Athboy, will take place over the June bank holiday, May 31 to June 3.
The weekend will feature live music, family-friendly entertainment and the coronation of the 2024 Blue Jean Country Queen.
The centrepiece of the festival – the competition to crown the Blue Jean Country Queen – will see 22 young women from this country and abroad descend on Athboy for a chaotic and fun-filled weekend.
The queens will be welcomed into the heart of the local community, stay with local families, take part in a karaoke competition and play fancy dress football.
The festival will kick off on Friday, May 31, with the official opening in the Darnley Lodge Hotel, followed by a pub crawl.
Events swing into gear on Saturday with Athboy Credit Union’s annual barbecue from 2:00p.m and the karaoke competition in Flood’s Bar from 4:00p.m.
That evening in The Darnley Lodge Hotel at 7:00p.m, the queens will be put to the test in their on-stage interviews, sponsored by MacNamara Feeds, with iRadio’s Conor Woods, followed by music from midlands-based live act Rhythm and Sticks, and the night will finish up with a DJ set from Conor Woods.
On Sunday, the queens will march in fancy dress to Athboy’s fair green for the Lark in the Park, a family fun day that will begin with the queens playing a game of Barbenheimer-themed fancy dress football at 12:00p.m.
The afternoon will feature live music from The Sandmen and Tunesday, as well as children’s entertainment, food stalls, a pet farm and the return of the mini-tractor run sponsored by Meath Farm Machinery Ltd.
All children registered will be in with a chance to win a battery-operated ride-on John Deere gator.
The 2024 queen will receive the perpetual cup and tiara as well as €1,000 from the Athboy Credit Union.
The runner-up will receive €500 from Turmec Recycling Solutions while the third prize will be presented with €300, courtesy of Farrelly Tree Service.
The new queen, her supporters, the committee and fellow contestants will then celebrate with music from the award-winning Kildare folk band, The Druids.
Reflecting on her year as queen, current Blue Jean Country Queen, Niamh Sheehy, a singing teacher and wedding singer from Kilkenny, said: “It’s hard to express in just a few words what it has meant to me being crowned the 2023 Blue Jean Country Queen.
“The Blue Jean Country Queen has truly given me friends and memories for life that I’m so exceptionally grateful for.”
She encouraged the 2024 queens to enjoy every moment: “Dive head first into every activity your amazing committee has organised. Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and most importantly, stay true to yourself.”
Speaking at the festival launch in Causey Farm, current Blue Jean Country festival chair, Paul Gill, a member of Longwood/Kilyon Macra, thanked the businesses and community of Athboy for the continued support.
“The people of Athboy rally around the festival. We would like to thank our community committee, the Darnley Lodge Hotel, Athboy Credit Union and all our sponsors for their continued support.”