Are you a redhead? It’s not too late to join in the annual redhead convention which is taking place in Crosshaven, Co. Cork next weekend.
The convention which was founded by Joleen Cronin and her brother Denis five years ago started as a joke in the siblings family pub and succeeded to becoming a gathering of extraordinary uniqueness, attracting hundreds of redheads from all over Ireland and the world.
Red hair is the rarest of hair colours, and accounts for only 0.6% of the worlds population. The highest percentage of natural redheads in the world live in Scotland at 13% with Ireland reigning in close behind at 10%.
The festival takes place this year from 21-23 August and will include events such as a carrot throwing competition, a tug-of-war – with teams of gingers against non-gingers, pin the tail on the foxy and snakes and gingers games.
The festivities will culminate in the crowning of the 2015 Ginger King and Queen, who are chosen as the representatives of redheads for the following year.
Central to the Convention is the Foxygen music stage, reserved just for gingers. Among the redhead performers are Ginger Nutz, a trad band made up entirely of natural redheads from the West of Ireland; ginger-fronted West Cork band The Baby Cheeses and a passionate group of local women, Crosshaven Ukuladies. The red-headline act for the weekend is much loved and highly acclaimed, Irish jazz and blues singer Mary Coughlan.
The festival also aids the Irish Cancer Society which is provided with 20% of ticket receipts among other fundraising activities.
You can get more details at the convention website.
Here’s the BBC reporting on last years festival.
