Clon to celebrate the Big Fella’s birthday

Clonakilty is hosting celebrations for the birthday of one of its most famous natives this weekend. The town will host a series of events celebrating the life of Michael Collins, who was born in Sam's Cross about 3 miles from Clonakilty in 1890.
Micheal was born on 16 October 1890, almost 122 years ago. He attended the Clonakilty Boy's National School and lived in Emmet Square at that time.  
Things kicked off last night with a gala diner in the Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa, which MEP Brian Crowley attended along with a performance for Re Nua.
This celebration will have a more fun and celebratory tone than the annual Béal na Blá commemorations that take place every August.
One of the most interesting events will be a GAA match with local teams sporting long shorts and peaked caps, as they would have worn in Collins’s day.

A selection of local schoolchildren’s art and letters inspired by Collins’s story will be displayed in the parish centre, Clonakilty, where Collins attended classes over 100 years ago.
De Barra’s pub will host ‘The Big Fella birthday bash’ from 8pm, which will be similar to a ceilí mór. The town’s first ‘Dialogue’ event, an opportunity to “witness what’s on other people’s minds without coming to any conclusions or judgments” will also take place along with a candlelit three minutes’ silence to remember Michael Collins.

Events run throughput the weekend. See http://www.michaelcollinsbirthday.com/.