WHATEVER your interests were, the Lady of the Lake Festival’s Fair Day had something for everyone as visitors of all ages, from near and far, were kept entertained.
A large crowd turned out for one of the most popular events at the annual summer festival at Necarne Castle in Irvinestown, where a celebration of all things old and new was celebrated.
Street performers ‘Molly and Johnny’ got the crowd going with their poteen-making antics, with the couple’s makeshift poteen still sending plumes of black smoke rising high into the air.
At one stage Johnny tripped and fell on top of Molly, while Molly later got her dress caught up in the comtraption they were using. In the middle of all the chaos, Johnny then started playing the harmonica.
“F*** me pink, what a hanlin!” one bystander exclaimed.
Another told Molly, who was by now black from head to toe with soot, that she was looking well. “You should have seen me before I showered,” she replied.
Their brewing methods did not encourage onlookers to have a taste though.
“We don’t have enough poteen made, Johnny,” said Mary.
“You needn’t worry, for I’ll not be drinking any of it,” replied one observer.
Luckily for the gathered crowd, Molly produced a genuine bottle of spirits for people to sample instead of what they had made and she began dishing it out to everyone.
“Here mam, do you want a wee mouthful – I hope you’re not driving,” Molly said.
“A few of these and you’ll end up like Johnny.”
The poteen was so potent it even helped revive Johnny after he collapsed at one stage and not even a homemade defibrillator – made from a car battery attached to two steam irons – could bring him back to consciousness.
“I’ll have me purgatory done after all this!” an exasperated Molly cried at one stage.
She was not the only one at the end of her tether as attention then switched to the ‘Ireland’s Sexiest Man’ competition, which consisted of festival committee members Joe Mahon and Liam Leonard wearing Stetson hats and not much else, while fellow competitor, Elvis from Castlederg, walked up the makeshift catwalk.
It wasn’t exactly ‘Love Island’.
The whole shenanigans were perfectly summed up by one local man – “There’s wiser locked up.”
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