The inaugural Ballyscullion Park Book Festival, 11 – 12 May 2024 will take place in the historic Ballyscullion Park, situated on the shores of Lough Beg. It is a celebration of literature, music and art in the heart of Seamus Heaney country.
Ballysculllion Park website HERE
The programme will feature a range of writers, musicians, artists and historians exploring a wide variety of topics from the 18th century to the present day.
We had the opportunity to attend the launch, to hear about the programme and meet some of the programmed guests.
Rosalind Mulholland, guided us round the historic festival site, with its unique hospitality facilities and accommodation, and we enjoyed music from Eileen Beamish and Celtic Grace; an original, magical, musical, interactive experience, focusing on the incredible true-life story of the iconic, blind harper, Turlough O’Carolan.
We also met Ian McKinley, co-author of “Second Sight: Rugby and Redemption”, which covered his incredible career and comeback story after losing the sight in his left eye following an injury during a game. Ian now spends his time coaching rugby locally, commentating for Virgin Media Ireland, and giving talks.
Then, Sophia Hillan spoke to us about her career as a writer, her work appearing in the Faber Book of Best New Irish Short Stories. Her most recent non-fictional work is “May, Lou and Cass: Jane Austen’s Nieces in Ireland” from whom Richard Mulholland is descended.
Our hosts then treated us to a delicious lunch in the dining room of their stunningly elegant home.
The Ballyscullion Park Book Festival is an unmissable treat for lovers of music, art, literature and local history.
Buy your tickets HERE
About Ballyscullion Park
Northern Ireland’s Historic, Unique Venue
Ballyscullion Park is the home of Richard and Rosalind Mulholland and their four children. The estate was bought by Richard’s grandparents, Sir Harry and Lady Mulholland in 1938, and the house was restored to its present state.
Ballyscullion Park is situated on the shores of Lough Beg, through which the River Bann flows. It is a Ramsa site, and Site of Special Scientific Interest owing to the richness and diversity of flora and birdlife. At the southern end of the strand, surrounded by the Lough on one side and wetlands on the other, is the ancient historic monument, Church Island.
The church of St Taide was reputedly founded by Saint Patrick, and a hollowed stone bears the imprint of his knee as he knelt to bless the site. Now a ruin, Church Island is still a place of pilgrimage on the first Sunday in September. A rag tree bears testimony to the faith of many generations in the healing powers this enchanting and enchanted haven.
Seamus Heaney, the late much-lamented poet, grew up nearby and his father grazed his cattle on the strand. Lough Beg has provided inspiration for many of his poems.
Family-run Venue
At Ballyscullion Park we are very proud to be one of the very few family-run exclusive use venues in Northern Ireland. We believe that this allows us to create a closer relationship with our couples, providing them with a warm and personal experience on the lead up to their day and on the wedding day itself, when we welcome their guests as our own.
Richard and Rosalind Mulholland are the Owners and Directors of Ballyscullion Park. Their son George keeps the gardens and grounds in perfect condition while also managing the accommodation. Cordelia, their daughter, is the Social Media and Events Manager and also leads viewings of the venue with new couples.
As a family we invest so much time, care and attention into our venue and grounds and every time a couple books with us, it is a huge compliment. We love nothing more than helping our Bride, Groom and their guests to create a very special day at our beautiful venue.
2023 – Ten Years of Weddings
This year marks our tenth year of hosting weddings at Ballyscullion Park. For the first four years all our ceremonies and receptions were held in the Stables Room and Ringrose Room, with temporary marquees on the lawn. The first year of business we hosted two weddings and in 2022, our tenth year, we held seventy-seven!
As a family we have also put the venue to good use with some notable events. Our two daughters held their wedding receptions, Rosalind celebrated her 60th birthday, and her mother Patience’s celebrated her 90th in our marquee.
It has been an immense joy growing and developing Ballyscullion Park over the years and each year we undertake large projects and upgrades to keep improving the venue for our couples. In the last three years alone we have put in a 62 vehicle car park, opened up the Palace Ruins for ceremonies, installed cast iron fencing along the avenue, renovated our courtyard cottages, and continually added interesting features and flowers to our beautiful Walled Garden.
We look forward to improving and developing the venue even more in the years ahead.
Giving Back
As a family, we believe that it is very important to give back to the community so we hold a charity ball every other year to raise funds for various local charities.
For our inaugural ball in February 2020, we chose Marie Curie, whose work supporting people with terminal illness is so incredibly Important. We had a brilliant evening and were absolutely delighted to be able to present a cheque to the charity for £8655.
Our second charity ball was held in February 2022, partnering with Action for Children NI. Vulnerable children suffered exponentially throughout the numerous covid lockdowns and so we decided to raise money for those affected. We chose Action for Children NI as they provide invaluable assistance to the most at risk children and support them right through to 25 years of age.
Due to the incredible generosity of our guests, we raised a total of £9,750 for the charity. It was a fabulous night of music and entertainment with incredible raffle and auction prizes kindly donated by local businesses.
