Marymass groups give behind-the-scenes peak

TEAM: Marymass Festival organisers pose with the Greasy Pole on Irvine Moor (Image: Marymass Festival)

Excitement is building ahead of Marymass Saturday this weekend in Irvine, and organisers have given an insight into the work that goes into the festival’s planning.

The 12 days’ worth of events in North Ayrshire will draw to a close this weekend, with the Irvine Carters’ Society and Marymass Festival Committee already “bustling away in the background” for next year.

North Ayrshire Council handed over the responsibility of the festival to the community groups in 2012, who continue to oversee events such as horse-drawn parades, horse racing, and firework displays.

Both groups are entirely volunteer-led, and are said to have “their work cut out” overseeing everything throughout the year,

A spokesperson from Marymass Festival said: “Both of these groups go above and beyond for their town. Marymass may be 12 days long, and for many people it may be just Marymass Saturday they come to enjoy.

“However, the whole festival takes a whole year to organise, just days after the festival has ended. The Carters are set on improving the event each year with two aims, sourcing horses for the parade and racing, and raising vital finance to fund them.”

The Marymass Festival Committee were revealed to spend 15 hours at Irvine Moor on the Saturday, arriving at 6 am to prepare the day’s events.

The statement added: “Hundreds upon hundreds of hours are volunteered amongst the team, from answering emails and organising social media posts and creating the brochure, to taking and making bookings and overseeing our Marymass Patrons scheme.

“All of this is a full-time job in itself, but then you have all the unseen pieces, such as insurance negotiations, licensing, sourcing the best prices for our infrastructure and so much more.

“We love Marymass, and we love making it happen. We won’t stop working, pushing or improving when it’s in our blood.”

This year’s Marymass Festival has already seen the Forth Port and Festival of Light Parades, in addition to the Pram race, take place at Irvine Moor in the past week.

Upcoming events include the Marymass derby between Irvine Meadow and Irvine Victoria on Friday and the Greasy Pole Competition involving Now Ayrshire Radio’s all-women’s team of Rebecca Johnson, Ali Wright, Amanda Jean, and Lauren McGregor.

The events will draw to a close on Monday 24 August with planning for next year’s festival set to begin in early September.

Marymass is a centuries-old Irvine tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, originally associated with the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The celebrations developed into a popular fair featuring markets, entertainment and horse racing, with the Irvine Carters’ Society becoming closely linked to the event.