Galway Rural Development

Ballinasloe Midsummer Multicultural Festival 2026
The organisers of the Ballinasloe Midsummer Multicultural Festival 2026 would like to extend their sincere thanks to all the sports clubs, Fr. Garvey and the Parish Administrators, our cuisine hosts, performers, volunteers, schools, civil defence and everyone who contributed to making Saturday's festival such a success.
The festival showcased the rich cultural diversity of our community and provided a wonderful opportunity for people from different backgrounds to come together in a spirit of friendship, respect, and celebration. It was a truly culturally inclusive event, and the level of community engagement was both encouraging and inspiring.
They would also like to express our gratitude to all of our coordinators and funders whose support made this event possible, including SICAP Galway Rural Development, BACD CLG, Gateway Credit Union, Ballinasloe Lions Club, Galway County Council, and Galway Sports Partnership.
Special thanks are also extended to Ballinasloe Tidy Towns, An Garda Síochána, and all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. They would particularly like to thank our two excellent MCs, Darren and Brian, for helping to create such a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the day.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the people of Ballinasloe and the wider community for your continued support, participation, and enthusiasm. Your encouragement and involvement are what make this festival such a meaningful celebration of diversity, inclusion, and community spirit.
Save the Date!
We look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Ballinasloe Midsummer Multicultural Festival 2027, taking place on Saturday, 19th June 2027.
Thank you all for helping to make Ballinasloe Midsummer Multicultural Festival 2026 a memorable and successful event.
Enjoy more fabulous photos from John Finnerty Photography in our previous post!
Ballinasloe Midsummer Multicultural Festival Organising Committee

A VERY busy few weeks for the GRD Team, supporting many events across the East of the county including the graduation for the little people taking part in the ParentChild+ programme, the Male Carers Wellness event in Athenry, Ballinasloe Multicultural Midsummer Festival, Electric Fare of Food in Ballygar, Connection, Conversation and Wellbeing event for men with Galway Traveller Movement(GTM), Make a Difference Club Tuam 'My Culture My Heritage' event, Men's Health NCT day, Headford, Slí walk with Athenry, Oranmore, Monivea and Clarinbridge Men's Shed,Drop in support event for Travellers in GRD's Ballinasloe Office and the work being done by the Rural Social Scheme, Tús and the Community Employment programme supporting communities in our towns and villages.

For more information on the supports and programmes we offer please check out our website www.grd.ie

SICAP officers Marie and Karyn enjoyed a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon at Ballygar Old School House celebrating Ballygars Community 'Electic Fare of Food'. Well done to Bernie and the team at Solas Family Resource Centre.

This community event was supported by SICAP, GRD'S Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme.

Today in Ballygar. Another fantastic community event our SICAP team are proud to support. Make sure if you are in the area to pop in from 2pm-4pm, all details on poster. Best of luck to all involved.

Another fantastic project for Men's Health Week supported by SICAP in partnership with Galway Traveller Movement. Well done to Pat and his team.

💚👏As part of Men’s Health Week 2026 and this year’s Ireland theme, “One Step at a Time” GTM PHC Community Health Worker Pat Mongan partnered with Galway Rural Development to engage Traveller men in the South East Galway!

=>More than 25 men came together for a paintballing event, creating a positive space for connection, conversation, and wellbeing.

GTM CHW Pat also highlighted the supports available through *GTM TORIE Counselling Services*, encouraging Traveller men to take that first step and reach out when needed. 🤍💚

This project was supported by SICAP.



HSE Ireland
National Traveller Men's Fourm
Traveller Counselling

The Make a Difference Club hosted their 'My Culture My Heritage' event today at the Family Resource Centre. A day of celebrating cultures through songs, dance, poetry, and more was enjoyed by all. We were proud to support through our SICAP programme.

The Men's Health NCT Day at St Fursa's Hall this week was another great success. Each year, Solas FRC organise a gathering, which includes free health and fitness checks, as well as checking for blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Ballinasloe Midsummer Multicultural Festival tomorrow from 1pm - 5pm in The Fair Green and The Emerald Ballroom. Free Community Event.