Paddy Casey playing to a huge crowd at the Irish America Fest 2016 in New Ross. Pic: Jim Campbell

NEW ROSS was buzzing with activity at the weekend when it played host to the annual Irish America Festival and the organisers couldn’t have hoped for better weather in which to hold it.

With the sun bathing the town park in glorious sunshine large crowds of people gathered there throughout Saturday and Sunday to avail of the carnival events set up as part of the fringe programme and to listen to some of the country’s foremost music acts on the main stage including Paddy Casey and the High Kings who both had the crowd enthralled throughout their respective sets.

The festival kicked off on Friday night when Special Brew and the ‘Daft Punk Tribute’ band performed exemplary sets.

Despite a small crowd the opening night served to indicate the quality of the performances that would follow as the musicianship on show was of a very high standard.

There were many highlights throughout the weekend with a stand-out being the burial of a time capsule which won’t be opened again until 2066.

Throughout the weekend, and in the days leading up to the festival, members of the public were invited to submit articles for inclusion in the capsule and the organisers were overwhelmed with the response.

They acknowledged the role of everyone involved in making the event a success and thanked all the local businesses and individuals who gave their support to the festival.