Great quack as the Foulksmills Duck Race marks four decades of fun
BROADLY speaking, the community of south Wexford can be divided into two categories – those who know about the annual Foulksmills Duck Race, and those who do not.
Judging by the massive crowds who turned up on the banks of the River Corach last week, there are few left in the second camp, as this beloved community event celebrated 40 years.
Remarking on the size of the crowd, one Wexford County Council representative remarked – “It’s mad. We spend thousands staging all sorts of festivals and what brings out a crowd like this? - A load of plastic ducks floating down the river!”
That would probably be over-simplifying things somewhat though. A real testament to the power of community and an embodiment of the spirit of volunteerism, the event has grown and grown over the years to the point that, nowadays, if you want to buy a ticket for a duck in any of the races, you better be prepared to queue for quite a while.
This year, the beautiful setting of the park in Foulksmills hosted attractions such as river boat rides, a children’s fancy dress competition, fishing for bottles, a cake stand, hook a duck, chuck a duck, milk daisy the cow, bungee run, bowls, hang tough and a barbecue, well-manned by a dedicated team of volunteers.
The full race commentary from the lads at the far side of the river had people in stiches as they cheered home their own ducks in the hopes of bagging a restaurant voucher or another prize.
Perhaps drawing the best of quips from the race commentators was the “councillors race” which saw each of the district’s elected reps represented by a duck for a special race. It was Cllr Frank Staples who emerged with bragging rights, his duck seeing off a late challenge from Cllr Ger Carthy.
It’s safe to say that a lot has changed since 1984. But something that shows no sign of changing is the community spirit of the Foulksmills Tidy Towns Group and their dedication to running this major fundraiser in order to keep the park in the village looking beautiful for locals and visitors alike.
Good old fashioned family fun and a bit of craic, it looks like the Foulksmills Duck Race could outlast many more milestones in the future.