German countess to open up picturesque Wexford country home to visitors for a special day of family fun
With her family having been in possession of the stunning Wexford property for over 60 years, owner Countess Ulrike Walderdorff is delighted to once again throw open the gates and welcome the people of the community inside for a special open day this Sunday, May 18, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The house is surrounded by 800 acres of farm and woodland and was purchased by the Countess's late father Otto Schulte-Frohlinde in 1964. He had dreamed of retiring to the picturesque spot between the villages and breeding horses there, but sadly he fell ill in 1972 and only visited Artramon once after that.
In 1982, the estate was handed over to Ulrike, her husband Joseph and their children Maximilian Brendan and Sophia Gloria and they enjoyed many memorable holidays there until Joseph's tragic death in an accident in 1996.
Over the years, Artramon House has operated as a guesthouse and has welcomed visitors from all over the world, particularly during Wexford Festival Opera. This year, the country house will once again open up to visitors attending Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann who fancy staying somewhere stunning, historic and completely different.
On Sunday, however, it promises to be a fun day in the sun for the whole family as the grounds are opened up to the general public. There will be music from the Wexford Folk Orchestra and local trad and ballad groups, displays of set dancing, a mumming exhibition and at 3 p.m. Countess Walderdorff herself will welcome her guests before a special blessing by Fr Jim Finn.
The cost of entry on the day is €5, with all funds raised going directly to Castlebridge Senior Club. All are welcome.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford students invited to follow in Colm Tóibín's footsteps and enter revived opera festival essay competition
Wexford People Today at 23:00 After a hiatus of over 50 years, the students of Wexford are once again being offered the chance to share their thoughts on the Wexford Festival Opera, and to win a generous cash prize of €250 plus publication in the Festival Supplement of the Wexford People. Wexford Festival Opera is running an essay competition for its 74th anniversary. Inspired by the theme for this year's event, Myths & Legends, the subject of the essay is: 'Wexford Festival Opera – A Myth or a Legend?' All senior cycle (TY, 5th and 6th year) students in County Wexford are invited to participate. The Festival last held an essay competition in 1972 which makes a revival more than overdue. Back then, the title was 'Wexford Festival Opera – Vanity or Prestige?' There were four prizes and a young Colm Tóibín was among the winners. Where are the remaining three winners? Or, indeed, the other entrants? WFO would love to hear from anyone who knows anyone who entered, or was placed in, that competition. Best of all would be to find copies of those essays! A long list of writers hail from Wexford, a tradition celebrated every September since 2016 at the Write by the Sea Festival in Kilmore Quay. Whether it is due to the sea air or the extra dose of sunshine that lights up the 'sunny south east', music and words seem to flourish in this corner of the island. It is also an area rich in history and folklore which could feed into ideas for this year's essay title. How to separate myth from legend and where to place WFO on that scale is an interesting question. Does the Festival impinge in any meaningful way on the lives of younger members of the community, acquiring legendary status for them, or is that a cosy myth? The organisers of WFO are eager to learn how the senior cycle cohort views the Festival and whether, or how, it might be made more meaningful to that generation. For teachers this could be a rewarding and very worthwhile class project, especially in transition year, when several students will have the opportunity to work with the Festival. Other students may have family members who have been, or are still, involved at some level. There are many dimensions to the Festival, from the opening night fireworks to the general buzz around town, from themed window displays to the sometimes outlandish glamour of opera goers, exhibitions, fringe and community events, each offering a different angle on, or line of approach to, the subject. I rarely wish I was sixteen again but this is one occasion when I wouldn't mind reversing the years, just to have a crack at such an exciting competition. Competition Details: Wexford Festival Opera – A Myth or a Legend? All students in Senior Cycle (TY, 5th Year and 6th Year) in County Wexford secondary schools are eligible to participate. Prize: €250 Rules and Conditions 1. Entries must be the original work of the entrant and should not have been previously published in any format, online or print, self-published or paid. 2. Entries must be typed, double-spaced in Microsoft Word, 12 point, Times New Roman font. 3. All entries must be in English and submitted by email to essay@ Closing date for receipt of entries is Monday September 22 at 5.00pm. 4. The decision of the judges is final, no correspondence/contact will be entered into, and no feedback will be given to individual entrants. 5. Entrants can submit only one entry. Entries must not exceed 2,000 words. 6. Wexford Festival Opera reserves the right to publish any of the entries as full essays, or extracts thereof, to promote Wexford Festival Opera on its website and in other media.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Thinking global and acting local sees our musical traditions survive and thrive
'Think global, act local': the phrase was coined in the 1970s, gained new currency in the '90s and remains relevant today. Think global — in other words, big picture, broad view, the important things — and act on an individual and community level. Its original authors meant it environmentally, but it can apply to all sorts of things. Irish arts and culture, for instance. As with every other indigenous culture, especially smaller nations', our music and dancing and language have been essentially under siege for decades in an increasingly homogenised, connected, corporatised global village. The huge demographic and sociocultural change of immigration also changes the cultural landscape in numerous ways. This isn't to get into the rights or wrongs of that, just to state an obvious fact: indigenous arts and culture are altered, everywhere and every time, as populations change. This is a depressing situation. Whenever the world loses any of its remarkable range and richness of traditions is depressing. But that's what we might call 'global' — what about local? What can you or I do about it, here and now? How can we help Irish arts to survive and thrive? Musicians from local Comhaltas groups at the official opening of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford Town. I give you Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. The kind of rare people giving words like 'organisation', 'bureaucracy' and 'non-profit' a good name. Comhaltas was founded in 1951 by a group of musicians, concerned Irish trad was in decline. It now has 400+ branches around the world, promoting and preserving our music, dancing and language. It runs weekly classes, periodic events and celebrations and sessions, and annual competitions. We're currently gearing up in Clare for the County Fleadh, from Sunday June 8. Do well in that and it's onto the Munsters in Cork in July, and who knows? Maybe All-Ireland glory in Wexford this August. As the song goes, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Comhaltas has branches in places you'd expect — US, UK, Australia — and some you might not: Colombia, Singapore, Patagonia, Japan. (Irish trad is massive in Japan especially, thanks mainly to Comhaltas. How's that for thinking global?) Performers from Comhaltas na Dúglaise at Cork Airport ahead of Fleadh Cheoil Chorcaí 2024. And it's fantastic in what it does, the definition of 'volunteer spirit'; it's making the world a better place, one local step at a time, without asking or needing to be paid. Though that makes it all sound so worthy and po-faced, and getting involved in Comhaltas really isn't like that at all. It's fun. It's craic. It's meeting people and doing things. It's hefting chairs around a hall for the grúpa cheoil to assemble. It's handing out wristbands for the fleadh. It's WhatsApp groups and Facebook photos and driving to rehearsals. It's toting a harp case through a crowd and hoping to Jesus nobody bangs off the instrument — these things cost a lot of money. It's reuniting lost fiddle bows with their owner and waiting nervously with other parents for competition results. It's negotiating complex timetables so you can watch your kid's u15 group and still make the finale of the senior sean nós dancing. It's realising sean nós, contrary to preconceptions, is an absolutely kick-ass style of dancing and how did this brilliant artform elude your attention until now? One remarkable feature of Comhaltas, and traditional arts in general, is how it brings genuine superstars of the genre to the grassroots level — globally renowned names and local involvement. In my own case, for example, the Kilfenora Céilí Band were formed 30 minutes from where I live. In trad terms, they're megastars: they've played abroad (including the Glastonbury festival), been on the Late Late Show several times, performed at the National Concert Hall and other prestigious venues. Mike Dunning performs with his grandson LJ Kelly from Athlone on the opening day of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. Picture: Andres Poveda And I know several of them for years — just through normal life, and engagement with Comhaltas. They live locally. They teach my kids music and/or steer groups through competition. They're neighbours and friends. Our children play sport together. "One is a teacher in a nearby secondary. (Another is Sharon Shannon's brother, incidentally; he's in a neighbouring branch, and there's great friendly rivalry every summer.) Members of Newcestown Comhaltas. Picture: Brian Lougheed And it's mad, you're chatting to these people about the humdrum stuff of day-to-day and then they might say something like, 'Sorry, we have to head off, we've to be in RTÉ by seven'. I love that. It's what life should be about, really: incredibly talented artists, but also regular people who are deeply engaged on a local level. It's the kind of thing you only really get in 'roots' music. The rock equivalent would be The Edge teaching your kids guitar at the community hall, or Taylor Swift administrating a WhatsApp group called 'U12 county final 2025'. Funny, I was never a trad person growing up, and in fact still today am far more likely to listen to, or (badly) play, rock music or electronica or almost anything else, really, on CD or radio or YouTube. But there's something magical about trad music and dance, when it's live and in person; when you're involved to some degree, not just passively consuming. It's global, it's local, it's magical, it's Comhaltas. Fleadh Cheoil an Chláir takes place in Ennis this weekend. See for information
The Irish Sun
20-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
BGT fans call for huge change for judges next year amid controversy ahead of final
BRITAIN'S Got Talent fans have called for a huge change to the programme after the show has been engulfed in 'fix' rows. The ITV programme has seen a schedule shake-up this year with semi-final shows airing on Saturday nights as opposed to stripped across one week. Advertisement 5 BGT fans have demanded a huge change for next year Credit: ITV 5 They want to see the poorly received live golden buzzer axed Credit: ITV 5 Joseph Charm got the golden buzzer last weekend but amid fan fury Credit: Shutterstock Editorial But that isn't the only format change to rock the talent contest. This year, during the live semi-finals, each judge has been given a golden buzzer which they are allowed to press once. Any act that receives the buzzer advances straight through to the final and does not face the public vote. In previous years, the act with the most viewer votes advances to the final with the acts in second and third place then standing before the judges as they each pick one of the two to send through to the final. Advertisement Read More on BGT However, the introduction of the live golden buzzer has not gone down well with fans - Now, they are calling for the feature to be axed for next year in a stark move. Taking to X - formerly Twitter - to rant about the show, one unimpressed telly watcher said: "Next year @BGT need to scrap the semi final buzzer for judges. Such poor choices. "Alesha pressing for a comedian who wasn't funny was the icing on the cake!" Advertisement Most read in Reality Another added following Joseph's performance: "THIS GUY IS JUST NOT FUNNY... Judges need to stop lying to acts and Biulding up false Hope, Golden buzzer??? Are u serious." A third shared online: "This year the #BGT final is gonna be boring. Davina McCall makes emotional surprise appearance on Britain's Got Talent as Amanda Holden fights back tears "The public keep putting through boring acts. In the semi finals, every time a judge has used a golden buzzer, it's been wrong." Fans were left raging after feeling as though many other worthy acts had missed out on a place in the semi-final. Advertisement Joseph Charm impressed singer Alesha with his comedy routine, and she was seen laughing along with his jokes. Addressing Joseph after he had performed his act, Alesha said: 'I loved you when I first met you, and I was praying tonight that you would deliver. 'Your energy, enthusiasm, passion and talent was shining in all its glory. 'Thank you for not letting us down and for making everybody feel good, that was a beautiful moment. Advertisement "We can't wait to see you in the final, let's go baby.' It sparked claims of a fix with one ranting online: "Fix! No way was that a golden buzzer." As another stated: "The fact that Joseph was also on Deal or No Deal recently makes this Golden Buzzer even more of a fix." Britain's Got Talent's biggest 'fix' rows Britain's Got Talent has been plagued with 'fix' rows over the years. How many of these do you remember? Jasmine Elcock - 2016: Teenage singer Jasmine Elcock stunned the nation with her version of Cher's Believe. But it then transpired she had already performed professionally in London's West End. Jasmine, 14, admitted: "I've performed in Annie in the West End at about the age of nine or 10, but I really get nervous." IrShad Shaikh - 2017: BGT fans were left questioning the rule book when IrShad Shaikh auditioned. Colin Thackery - 2019: Elderly war veteran Colin won BGT in 2019, but Axel Blake - 2022: Comedian Axel Blake was given a Golden Buzzer in 2022 after making the judges laugh. But fans were fuming when they discovered Singer Taryn Charles is one of this year's hopefuls lucky enough to receive the Golden Buzzer. Bruno Tonilio put her straight through to the semi-finals following her performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by 5 The live buzzer is a new addition for the year Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Advertisement 5 But some fans already want to see it gone Credit: ITV
