Details emerge of disputes and dissatisfaction at 2018 Sydney Irish Festival

Information on patron and sponsor unhappiness surrounding the 2018 Magners Sydney Irish Festival at the Sydney Showgrounds, which was cut from a two-day event to one less than a week before it was staged last November, has emerged in newspapers in Ireland.

C&C Group, owners of the cider brands Magners and Bulmers, are suing event partners the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in the High Court in Dublin to recover sponsorship money it claims it is owed relating to the Festival, because the event did not go ahead in the way it had been presented to the cider company.

Originally promoted as a weekend “fusion of art, culture, music, dance, food and drink”, the Sydney Irish Festival was cut from two days to one day just days before it was staged as a result of what the Irish Community News referred to as “lower than expected ticket sales”.

C&C Group’s legal action against the GAA reportedly also relates to claims that governing body for Gaelic sports reneged on a deal to put the cider brand on tap at Dublin’s Croke Park.

Sponsored by Magners, as Bulmers is known in Australia, the 2018 Magners Sydney Irish Festival was held at the Sydney Showground.

Facing a smaller than expected number of attendees, plans for a ‘family fun day’ on Saturday 10th November, featuring hurling clinics, amusement rides, player autograph sessions, children’s activities for kids and a Guinness World Records attempt to make the world’s biggest Irish stew, were all cancelled just five days before the event.

Performances from Mary Black, urban folk performer Damien Dempsey, electro-folk outfit Saint Sister and traditional Irish music act Lúnasa were also cancelled, although the hurling match between 2018 Allianz League winners Kilkenny against Galway, the All-Ireland champions of 2017, at Spotless Stadium on Sunday 11th November did go ahead.

The Irish Community News reported that “the announcement of the change (from two-days to a single day) was met with disappointment and rancour, especially from those who had booked travel from other states and/or time off work. The late change left them out of pocket on air fares and accommodation.”

The newspaper added that many patrons who attended the event criticised the organisation of the day with long queues for the bars, adding “when some reached the top of a long queue, they were further frustrated to find out they could only get two drinks per person.”

Paul Sergeant, Managing Director of event organiser PSE, told The Irish Echo that the hurling had been a huge success but “we were deeply disappointed that we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the Saturday events and we apologise for the inconvenience it will have caused. Full refunds were given to people that purchased a Saturday only ticket and part refunds for two days tickets.

“There has been plenty of positive feedback about the day but it was spoilt for some by their experience at the bars. The venue operator has to adhere by RSA (responsible service of alcohol) requirements and the alcohol management plan for the day specific to every event, hence the initial drinks limit of four drinks per person and bar closure times.

“We have discussed the issue of lengthy queues with the venue operator and they apologise for being unable to meet the huge demand.”

Asked if another Festival is planned for the coming years, Sergeant told The Irish Community News “the 2018 event was very much a test event. A thorough de-brief will be held … and that will determine what happens in the future.”

With numbers attending the Festival falling short of predictions, event organisers are understood to have incurred significant losses from the event.

Lower image shows GAA hurling teams Kilkenny against Galway. Both images courtesy of the Sydney Irish Festival.