Electric Picnic funds purchase of field

The Electric Picnic organisers have provided funds to help St. Colman’s National School purchase land for the school and the local community.

The Picnic has provided €65,000 for a two-acre site right in the heart of Stradbally which will be used by the entire community – but primarily by St. Colman’s National School during term time to clubs and teams throughout evenings and weekends.

The idea was brought to the attention of festival organisers by the very hard working residents association which Electric Picnic meets with every year.

The initiative is music to the ears of the local primary school.

The Principal of St. Colman’s, Cathal Ruane described the news as fantastic.

“It is hard to describe how fantastic this new pitch area is going to be for our pupils.

“We have a huge tradition of sports and activities here in St. Colman’s but, unfortunately, we cannot give our pupils the opportunities they deserve.

“Electric Picnic is going to make a lasting contribution here in Stradbally one that will be felt by many generations to come, we couldn’t be happier.”

The two-acre site in the centre of the village will be transformed into a state of the art all-weather pitch with a running track, car-parking and a children’s play-area, all of which can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

It is hoped that with the help of the €65,000 donation, the community of Stradbally will benefit from the land for the years to come.

The donation means that festival organisers will be giving back to the community of Stradbally in the best way possible by promoting health and fitness (muddy wellies are optional).

Melvin Benn Festival Director of Electric Picnic underlined the importance of this for the festival organisers.

“Our festival could not go ahead without the continued support of the community of Stradbally and surrounding areas, this donation is our small way of giving back and giving thanks,” he said.

This year's Electric Picnic takes place from September 2 to 4 this year.

The musical line up includes Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, The 1975 and Frankie Cosmos, along with a eclectic variety of other features which have made the Picnic the stand out festival of the past decade.

Tickets for this year's festival sold out upon release.