Our annual Mid Summer party is followed soon after by the Athlone RNLI River Festival

This year, the annual Mid Summer Party is taking place in a favourite location, Killinure Chalets, on Saturday 24th June at 7pm. You can bring your own wine (and dessert) to this event. Tickets are €20 each and are available from Niamh on 087 3580413 or niamhherraghty@hotmail.com. but she needs to hear from you by the 21st!

dgThe Athlone RNLI River Festival follows soon after, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, 1st and 2nd of July, and the branch is CALLING ALL BOATS for duty on the Saturday

The Athlone branch as part of the river festival committee is opening the event in style with a sail-past, led by the Viking ship which will have live Jazz on board. Arrival time at the west quay wall at Sean’s Bar is 5pm, where we can enjoy Guinness and Oysters as the band plays on.

We are asking for as many member boats to take part.  The flotilla will be assembling at Hodson Bay from 1.30pm on Saturday, and ready for a leisurely line-astern cruise to town departing at 3.30. Boats will be mooring along the quay wall outside Sean’s.
We are asking you to put this event firmly in your diary as it’s success completely relies on strong attendance, not to mention it’s gonna be great fun! On Sunday morning, boats can move over to the town marina to enjoy the rest of the day’s many activities.
PLEASE PLEASE  text Ian Craig 083 4809797, or Paul king 087 2227408 as soon as possible to confirm attendance.

Click here to visit the official festival Facebook page

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The branch are also entering the branch raft Il Torpedo, with a few modifications from last year. The raft requires a crew  of four. If any member wish to be part of the crew please contact Ian Craig Ianmcraig@gmail.com or 083 4809797
Here are the Details of river festival however the rowing race have been dropped and replaced with a demonstration by the army  – should be good fun!
This July the River Shannon in the heart of Athlone will come alive with the 2017 Athlone River Festival.The River Shannon has been the base for festivals in Athlone throughout the town’s history, from the original Athlone People’s Regatta in the 1920s to the more recent Athlone River Festival in the 1990s, and started up again in recent years.
This year, by kind permission of Waterways Ireland, and supported by Westmeath County Council, Lough Ree RNLI Lifeboat will be organising the River Festival.  Speaking recently, Damien Delaney, volunteer member of Lough Ree RNLI said ‘Lough Ree RNLI Lifeboat has received huge support from the communities around Lough Ree and we would like to give back to the community with a fun-filled water-based weekend for all to enjoy’.
The event begins on the evening of Saturday 1 July with the IWAI Motor Cruiser flotilla sail-past and arrival into the town, followed by Guinness, Oysters and Jazz reception on the quay at Sean’s Bar.
On Sunday 2 July the action kicks off at 10am with the Junior Fishing Competition organised by Athlone Anglers, followed by a variety of activities over the course of the day.
Other key events include the Vintners Barrel Race and RNLI Soap Box Derby and the highlight of the weekend, the RNLI Raft Races, featuring both a general race and a fancy-dress race.
There will also be demonstrations from Lough Ree Yacht Club and Athlone Sub Aqua Club, and rowing races organised by Athlone Boat Club, as well as a fly-boarding performance. A full programme of events can be found on the Athlone RNLI River Festival Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AthloneRNLIRiverFestival/.
Entry forms for the Raft Races are available from Kieran Sloyan, c/o Sean’s Bar Tel 087 629 8133. All entries must be submitted no later than 5pm on Thursday 22 June 2017 and all participants must be 18 or older on the day of the race.
Lough Ree RNLI are also seeking sponsorship for some of the events on the day. If you or your business would like to sponsor an event, please contact Damien Delaney on 087 243 7092 or email bddelaney@eircom.net