Lughnasadh Wellness Festival at Butler House and Gardens

Peace and serenity is served up in abundance in the Butler House Gardens - an oasis full of nature in the heart of Kilkenny City.

It is somewhat fitting that this is the chosen location for the inaugural Lughnasadh festival which will take place on August 5.
CEO of Kilkenny Civic Trust, Ciarán Conroy explained the genesis of the festival.

“I ended up going to Wellfest in Kilmainham in Dublin in May and I bumped into Yvonne Skelly of Lakeshore Wellness Centre and we had a chat. There were lots of interesting things going on and I connected to the vision that she had for a community-based approach towards the wellness movement that is taking place. I went to Blessington, where she works and saw what they were doing there and said maybe this could work in Kilkenny."

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It is obvious from speaking with Ciarán that he is a passionate advocate for the wellness movement and is keen to raise awareness around the different types of healing, therapies and ways of living that can enhance our quality of love.

“There is a lot of money invested in illness and sickness and when people get sick but some of this can be counteracted if people have a different kind of lifestyle.

“It is about changing our behaviour and our spirit and attitude and embracing gratitude. It takes time to build a habit and I would encourage people to come along and see what it is about. What we are hoping to do with the festival is to raise awareness and people can come and see and take away what they want from it,” he said.

Choosing Butler House and Gardens as the venue for the Lughnasadh festival made immediate sense for event organiser Yvonne Skelly and Ciarán.

“One’s environment can help people with their wellbeing. I often speak to people who come here to enjoy the gardens, it is a calming place to be,” he said.

A living testament to this is gardener, Tommy Falsey who speaks positively about the impact working in nature in the garden has had on his own wellbeing.

“I came in here four years ago on a Fás course and it was the best move I ever made. Working in nature is very therapeutic and fulfilling. The gardens here are a very special place and offer people a place of retreat and peace in the middle of the city,” he said.

Yvonne Skelly said that at present there is ‘a lot of disconnection’.

“We are starting to see a need especially post Covid,” she said adding that the festival will offer snippets of different therapies and practices and will be about ‘people connecting with themselves and others.

“Often different practices resonate with people at different times. We embody authenticity and want to empower and inspire people,” she added.

The day-long festival takes places on August 5 from 10am to 6pm and includes a full schedule of talks and workshops including meditations, drumming, movement, wellness workshops, cacao, breath work and music before wrapping up the day with a Lughnasadh themed ceremony of light. There are also taster treatment sessions at an additional cost.

“Nature is very important to me so the festival has to take place in a place of beauty where there is a good energy. We have engaged with local wellness advocates and we are hoping that people will come out and support the event. We all want to live long, happy, healthy lives full of connectedness, community and meaning and what we are trying to show is that small thing can make a big difference,” she added.

For more see lakeshorewellnesscentre.com