Redheads from across the country are gathering this weekend to celebrate their bold locks. The Irish Redhead Convention kicked off yesterday and is now in its sixth year. The event is held in the village of Crosshaven, Co.Cork. The festival was the brainchild of redhead brother and sister Joleen and Denis Cronin.
Competitions include carrot tossing, freckle counting, and having the ‘most porcelain skin’. The event also includes ginger speed dating (for the over 18s), a redhead parade, and a gingerbread man party. Last night saw a red head darts competition and a the ‘red crawl’ pub crawl through Crosshaven.
Today, the ‘foxygen’ music stage hosted red-head acts such as Ginger Nutz, The Baby Cheeses, Judette and Irish jazz and blues singer, Mary Coughlan. The event also acts as a fundraiser for the Irish Cancer Society, with 20pc of all ticket sales being donated to the charity. The festival ends tomorrow with early morning yoga.
The King and Queen of the Redheads were also named. Gráinne Keenan from Fermoy, Co Cork, took the queen title and Alan Reidy, from Blennerville, Co Kerry, was crowned King of the Redheads.