At 6pm on Friday 12 December 2014 at 6.30pm, the choir of St Patrick’s Primary School in Ballygalget will be greeted by Councillor Billy Walker, Chairman of Down District Council, as the children board the Strangford ferry from the Strangford side.
The ferry, lit up with Christmas lights will sail across the Lough and children’s voices will fill the air with Christmas carols and Ireland’s first ever Carol Ship will be launched.
As the ferry reaches Portaferry the disembarking children will be greeted by the Mayor of Ards, Councillor Philip Smith. The pupils of St Columba’s High School in Portaferry will then board the ferry and Christmas carols will again ring out across the Lough. And so it will continue until 9.30pm on Friday and Saturday evening with choirs and musicians from all parts of the community ranging from the Portavogie Fishermen’s Choir to Mainstay Down Residential Project, the Victorian Singers to Fiddlers Folk Group, with 26 different groups and choirs in all.
At the same time there will be Christmas stalls in Portaferry and Strangford with activities such as storytelling and face painting. This is an occasion that can be enjoyed by all the family and many local cafes and eateries will be staying open for longer.
This is the culmination of a year of events with a maritime theme that have been organised by Portaferry and Strangford Trust who are now planning for 2015 and beyond.
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