Irvine - Marymass Saturday

[georgersweir]

Today was the culmination of the annual Marymass festival in Irvine. This was my first time at the event in 25 years and I greatly enjoyed the day - especially the clydesdale horse racing and the greasy pole. Here are a few pictures from this afternoon (as a slideshow). Hopefully, they capture some of the 'local colour'.

[Meg]

A couple of things to explain - George being an Irvinite thinks everyone knows about the "greasy pole" - (not the one along the north shore by the way) - for the uninitiated there is a huge ham at the top of the greasy pole and teams of men try to get to the top of a pole slathered in grease, to claim the ham. The more teams that try, the more the grease is removed from the pole, til eventually a team manages to the top of the pole and win the ham.

The horse racing is something else - a course is marked off on the moor, it goes up and down like a hobby horse ride, and there's a race for just about every kind of horse or pony - including the one I have always wanted to see - the big shire horses who come thundering up the hill at the finish line with their massive hooves the size of dinner plates tearing up the turf. Fantastic - apart from my horse came second

Meg
pee ess - it was great to see a really lively parade with lots of colourful floats and different types of bands being watched by thousands of local people when it is a Civic occasion and no religious connotations whatsoever.

[morag]

Meg, as a segue of sorts, when I used to go to church our Irish priest ,on talking about self esteem, or the national lack of it, referred to the greasy pole event, saying that when contestants from other countries tried they were cheered on by their countrymen but when the Irish (Scottish) man tried, every time he got a few feet up he was pulled down by his countrymen and asked whee did he think he was going! If it wasn't so true it'd be funny!

[Penny Tray]

Even as a non-Irvinite I have to say that Marymass Saturday is a very special day, well worth a visit by any Threetowner who hasn't enjoyed the experience.

Do the Affleck family, originally from Green Avenue, still win the ham every year?

George is there still a folk festival in the week preceding the Saturday parade? I remember enjoying The Corries, Hamish Imlach, Matt McGinn, the Humblebum [Billy Connelly and Gerry Rafferty], Ally Bain and Mike Whelean, etc, etc. Great days in the late 60's early 70's.

[Meg]

Meg, as a segue of sorts, when I used to go to church our Irish priest ,on talking about self esteem, or the national lack of it, referred to the greasy pole event, saying that when contestants from other countries tried they were cheered on by their countrymen but when the Irish (Scottish) man tried, every time he got a few feet up he was pulled down by his countrymen and asked whee did he think he was going! If it wasn't so true it'd be funny!

How true Morag - we build people up and cheer them on, then when they win we pull them back down again because they've got above themselves. Witness Andy Murray!

M

[georgersweir]

Even as a non-Irvinite I have to say that Marymass Saturday is a very special day, well worth a visit by any Threetowner who hasn't enjoyed the experience.

Do the Affleck family, originally from Green Avenue, still win the ham every year?

George is there still a folk festival in the week preceding the Saturday parade? I remember enjoying The Corries, Hamish Imlach, Matt McGinn, the Humblebum [Billy Connelly and Gerry Rafferty], Ally Bain and Mike Whelean, etc, etc. Great days in the late 60's early 70's.

PT, the Folk Festival still runs each Marymass - this year, from 19th to 23rd August. I believe its still a big draw.

Last Saturday we didn't see the ham being de-poled, but I do recall the Afflecks in previous years, parading the ham through the crowds and collecting coins as part of their reward. Incidentally, the jockey on the clydesdale in the thumbnail at the start of this thread, is, I believe, Joe Affleck.

(I noticed on Saturday that many houses in Green Avenue and Fleming Terrace have their windows bricked up. Apparently, they are being demolished to make way for new housing.)

[morag]

I love those big shire horses, the Budweiser Clydesdales are a great attraction at our L.A. fair (coming up soon)