County Wicklow was certainly the place to be for the month of August 2000. Throughout the picturesque county, the streets and hills were filled with music, fun, laughter and craic. The festivals are a real family occasion and this millennium year was certainly no different. Clowns entertained the children with juggling, uni-cycling and balloons while the regatta and the helicopter and rescue display kept parents and grandparents agog.

Where ever you went, the carnival atmosphere prevailed. Face-painting was a great hit with the children. Little boys and girls queued to get their faces transformed to flowers, tigers and clowns. Later on the day the pretty faces took part in a children's treasure hunt and a fancy dress competition which proved to be a great success for all.

At 3:00pm the barman's race set off from the beach house. In under four minutes, Kevin Kelly, the barman at the Horse and Hound reached the finishing point at the harbour. While there was cheer and beer on the road, a more relaxed Jester wandered through the town diverting children's attention and posing gracefully for photos. At the harbour a stunning spectacle greeted the crowds; acrobats from Mexico put on a high impact show with death defying feats that had the audience gasping in amazement, most of whom had their hearts in their mouths. "The acrobats were great. I hope they come back next year" said one enthusiastic spectator.