The scarecrow show returns

With Halloween just around the corner, the village of Leap is fully embracing the spirit of the season and will give visitors a fright to remember as it gears up for its annual Scarecrow Festival.

The festival had its beginnings back in 2015 when it was introduced as a means to uplift the village's spirits and raise funds for the local amenity park.

“Initially, we just thought it might be nice to have a festival of fun for Halloween, in our quiet little village of Leap, and hoped that maybe a few people from the surrounding areas might find it amusing and come and join us,” said organiser Rita Ryan.

“But the idea took flight and the whole community rallied around with their witty, artistic, hilarious and terrifying scarecrow creations. Suddenly our village was swarming with crowds, coming from all over Munster and the rest of the country.”

The festival has grown into a must-see event for those in search of a Halloween thrill, with homemade scarecrow creations peppered throughout the village, designed to chill visitors to the bone.

This year the festival runs from Friday 27 October to 5 November. The schedule includes an exhibition about Ireland's Mythical Goddess on Friday, held at Leap Church of Ireland. Saturday will be the judgement day for all scarecrows, and prepare to be scared on Sunday, with a terrifying parade commencing from Leap Church Yard at 6.45 pm.

For those looking to dance the night away in the company of ghastly ghouls, there's the Witches and Warlocks Dance held in the Leap Inn car park after the parade, providing a blood-curdling atmosphere and some spooky revelry.