THE GOAN | LONDON
The Goan community in Ireland will be treated to the first major Goan festival at Wicklow on July 2.
When contacted, Valentino Fernandes, one of the Goan community organisers, told The Goan that this festival is the first of its kind in Ireland and is a huge deal for the Goan community.
“The event will begin with a Mass at St Anthony's Church in Kilcoole at 11.30 am. The Mass will be presided over by Goan Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, SFX the Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Daltonganj in Jharkhand, who is flying in from India.”
“A cultural bonanza awaits the Goans at the Community Centre in Newtownmountkennedy at 2 pm, where a Tiatr ‘Past is Past’, written and directed by King of Comedy Agostinho and his troupe, will be the first of its kind to be staged in Ireland.”
Comedian Agostinho and his troupe, consisting of 23 artistes and musicians from all over the UK, have been performing all over the UK.
The Indian ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra will attend the concert and this will be his first visit to Wicklow.
“We are expecting people from Wexford, Cork, Killarney, Kilkenny, Mayo, Sligo, Naas, Dublin and Limerick to attend the event. It will be a really big show, and we are putting up a big stage in the Community Centre. The festival will include authentic Indian food, tea and coffee,” said Fernandes.
The Goan team which is involved in organising the entire event includes Thomas Fernandes (Wicklow), Robert Fernandes (Cork), Camilo Fernandes (Cork), Tennyson Viegas (Kilarney), Dores (Wexford), Jumina Fernandes (Wicklow), Marcus Peixoto (Wicklow), John Micky Cardozo (Wicklow), Joaquina Menezes Fernandes (Wicklow), Velton Fernandes (Wicklow) And Aldercy Fernandes (Wicklow).
