Mary from Dungloe (festival)

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A typical scene at the Mary From Dungloe Festival, 2005. Dungloe music festival (1) - geograph.org.uk - 51567.jpg
A typical scene at the Mary From Dungloe Festival, 2005.

The Mary From Dungloe International Festival is a popular Irish music festival held annually, usually at the end of July in the small town of Dungloe, County Donegal. The festival is centred on a pageant to find out which contestant has the spirit of the festival, who is then crowned "Mary From Dungloe". The winner of the contest holds this title for a year and acts as an ambassador for the festival. Irish emigrant communities from around the world, as well as some Irish counties and towns, participate by nominating a young woman, endearingly titled a "Mary", to represent their community at the contest. The festival has grown in popularity over the years and now regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the area. The festival is inspired by the song "Mary from Dungloe" as the Rose of Tralee festival is by "The Rose of Tralee". In 2019, the festival celebrated its 52nd anniversary, with Roisin Maher from New York becoming Mary From Dungloe 2019.

Contents

Participating communities

Many communities around the world with links to County Donegal have their own local contests to pick their community's "Mary" who subsequently is nominated to travel to Dungloe to compete in the Mary From Dungloe contest. Irish communities who have entered contestants include:

Traditional festival events

There are a number of traditional events which are run every year as part of the festival. Here are just a few examples:

EventTraditional Location
Opening CeremonyMain St.
Introduction of MFD ContestantsMain St.
Country SundayMain St.
Lá GaelachMain St.
Open Air MusicMain St.
Art ExhibitionSharkey's Service Station / Ionad Teampaill Chróine
McGurk's Fun Fair The Cope Car Park, Quay Road
Childrens Sports DayCLG An Clochán Liath/Dungloe GAA Grounds
Men's Golf Open Cruit Island Golf Club
Ladies Golf OpenCruit Island Golf Club
Treasure HuntMain St. starting point
Annual 5K Road RaceMain St. & surrounds
Fly Fishing CompetitionDungloe Marina
Little Miss Mary CompetitionParochial Hall/ CDP na Rosann
Table QuizMaghery Community Centre/ Midway Bar & Restaurant
Junior Table QuizIonad Teampall Cróine
Social Evening with the MarysVarious
Historic Tour of the RossesDeparts Main St.
Walk the RossesDungloe area, Leitir/Lettermacaward, Maghery, Rann na Feirste, Loch an Iúir, Burtonport
Interviewing of the MFD Contestants Carrickfinn Airport / Rosses Community School
Bonny Baby ShowParochial Hall
Daniel O'Donnell in ConcertFestival Dome
Carnival ParadeMain St.
Band CompetitionMain St.
MFD Contest FinalFestival Dome / Ionad Spóirt na Rosann
Gala Ball Waterfront Hotel
Closing CeremonyMain St.

2024 Contestants

The 2024 'Marys' for the festival were as follows:

The Donegal Mary, Clare O’Donnell, was crowned the 2024 Mary from Dungloe at the crowning cabaret on 4 August. [12]

Contest winners

Below is a complete list of contest winners from 1968 to 2023.

YearWinnerRepresentedOriginally FromAge
1968Celine Powell [13] [14] Dublin Galway
1969Marie McGlinchey [15] Donegal
1970Monina Hughes Armagh
1971Gloria O'BoyleDonegal Bunbeg, Gweedore
1972Carole Mary Carr [15] Limerick
1973Nora Boyle [15] DonegalBurndennet, County Tyrone
1974Maribel Lopez Del Hoya [15] Spain
1975Maureen Temple [16] [17] Londonderry
1976Anne Marie McDaid [16] [17] Derry
1977Sheila T Boyle [15] Bayonne
1978Bernice McElroy [18] Down Warrenpoint, County Down 18
1979Ann O'Callaghan Louth
1980Marie Coyle [14] Glasgow
1981Noreen Galligan [19] An Ghaeltacht
1982Debbie O'Brien [20] Manchester 17
1983Máire McCole [21] [14] Dungloe
1984Anne Marie Moloney [14] New York Jackson Heights 18
1985Sheila Hughes [14] Mayo
1986Linda Farrell [22] Louth22
1987Maria McGovern [21] [14] Dublin Dublin
1988Maureen Connelly [15] Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania New York24
1989Carmel Kelly [23] DonegalDonegal
1990Anne Marie Downes [15] Louth
1991Pamela Sheridan [24] Meath
1992Paula O'Reilly [25] [14] Monaghan
1993Samantha Pairman [26] North East England
1994Sarah Mulholland [26] [14] Dungloe Kincasslagh 21
1995Kathleen McMahon [14] New YorkNew York20
1996Siobhan Bignell Melbourne London, England24
1997Heather Stewart [27] Edinburgh
1998Brighid WilliamsSydney
1999Ciara Diver [17] Derry Portstewart, County Londonderry
2000Shirley McGlynn [28] Manchester Dublin21
2001Fiona Callan [29] [30] Wicklow Wicklow19
2002Jolene McMonagle [30] An Ghealtacht Falcarragh 22
2003 Aisling Friel [31] GlasgowGlasgow21
2004Lisa Mc Kelvey [32] DungloeDungloe20
2005Katie Armstrong [33] Philadelphia Philadelphia25
2006Jennifer Halton Kildare Kildare 22
2007Kerry Sweeney [27] Edinburgh Edinburgh 21
2008Una Rooney [34] Armagh Armagh 24
2009Kate Ferguson [17] Derry Derry 25
2010Jemma Ferry [35] [27] Edinburgh Edinburgh 22
2011Debbie Rodgers [36] Dungloe Burtonport 21
2012Meghan Davis [37] Philadelphia Wilkes-Barre, PA 26
2013Grace Sweeney [38] Glasgow Glasgow 27
2014Kate Linsay [39] Sydney Sydney 19
2015Siobhan Dunn [40] [27] Edinburgh Edinburgh 28
2016Eva Ní Dhoibhlinn [41] Gaeltacht Gweedore 20
2017Alisha Medford [42] Glasgow Glasgow 20
2018Caroline O'Donnell [43] Dungloe Leffin 25
2019–2022Róisín Maher [44] New York Carlow 27
2021 Virtual MaryAlannagh Nic Fhloinn [45] Pleanáil Teanga (Gaeltacht) Sheskinarone 22
2022Caitlin Finn [46] London Ballybofey London Letterkenny 21
2023Adele Morgan [47] Dubai

Glasgow

28
2024Clare O’Donnell [12] Donegal

Letterkenny

26

Entertainers and musicians

Many Irish and international acts have performed at the festival over the years. The traditional annual crowd puller, however, continues to be internationally renowned folk singer Daniel O'Donnell, who made his festival debut in 1985.

Famous comperes

The Mary From Dungloe contest final has been compered by a number of famous faces.

Related Research Articles

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Donegal is a town in County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Although Donegal gave its name to the county, now Lifford is the county town. From the 15th until the early 17th century, Donegal was the "capital" of Tyrconnell, a Gaelic kingdom controlled by the O'Donnell dynasty of the Northern Uí Néill.

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Ailt an Chorráin or Ailt a' Chorráin is a Gaeltacht fishing village about 7 km (4 mi) northwest of Dungloe in The Rosses district of County Donegal, Ireland. The main employers in the village were the Burtonport Fishermen's Co-op and the Bord Iascaigh Mhara ice plant; but these have both since closed and their former premises were demolished in 2021 as part of a seafront environment upgrade scheme.

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An Clochán Liath, known in English as Dungloe, is a town on the west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in The Rosses and the largest in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Dungloe developed as a town in the middle of the 18th century, and now serves as the administrative and retail centre for the west of County Donegal, and in particular The Rosses, with the only mainland secondary school for the area.

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References

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