Last year was the second year of
running the Irish National Wife Carrying Championship as part of the
Family Festival here in Sneem.
We had great media interest in the build-up to the event, and a
good crowd turned out to watch.
We were delighted to welcome Paddy Power on board as sponsor of
the event, and are very pleased that they have chosen to sponsor the
Championship again this year.
By the time you read this, our
winners from last year Aiofe Desmond and John O’Shea (also our 2008
winners) will, all being well, have represented us again at the World
Wife Carrying Championship in Finland.
We hope they have had a successful and enjoyable trip, and that
they will be back in Sneem again this year to try for three Irish
Championships in a row.
Entries were up last year on our
first year and we hope this trend will continue.
There is also already an international flavour, with an entry
from a Japanese celebrity couple, accompanied by their own film crew!
Lets hope we get a bumper entry of Irish couples to give them a
good run for their money.
We also had some home grown
celebrity interest in May, when comedian Tommy Tiernan visited Sneem, on
his “World Tour of Kerry”.
He was keen to pick up some tips on Wife Carrying, although he had his
own take on the sport, as can be seen below when he met with
representatives of the Family Festival in the grounds of the Sneem
Hotel.
The course is 253.5 metres long,
with two dry obstacles and one water obstacle.
The wife to be carried may be your own, the neighbour’s, or she
may have been found further afield - in fact the couple do not have to
be married, however they must be 18 or over.
The lady must have a minimum
weight of 49 kilos. If she
weighs less, she will be handicapped with a loaded rucksack to reach the
minimum weight. The only
equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier, and a safety helmet for
the wife.
The contestants run the race two
at a time, so each timed heat is a contest in its own right.
If a contestant drops his wife, he has to re-lift her onto his
back or in his arms before he continues any further.
The contestants must heed the
instructions given by the organisers of the competition, and all
contestants should have fun!
The winners are the couple who complete the course in the shortest time. They will receive the title “Paddy Power Irish National Wife Carrying Champions” and a €2,000 expenses paid trip to Finland to represent Ireland in the World Wife Carrying Championship in July 2011.
Entries are free, and entry forms can be downloaded by
clicking
here.
