By Andy Spearman
What a wonderful event the National Sandcastle and Sculpture Competition is. For the past 20 summers it has drawn crowds to Bettystown Beach and the contestants, mostly children, bring home happy memories that will remain with them for life.
I didn’t know Dick O’Reilly whose great idea the Sandcastle and Sculpture Competition was, but I take my hat off to him.
Long after the sandy sea creatures and castles that were created yesterday are reclaimed by the waves the memories of a great day out will remain intact.
Thanks to the very changeable weather Saturday’s event drew a smaller than usual crowd but, despite several heavy showers, the workmanship and creativity of the sculptors and builders remained undimmed.
Housing Minister would have been jealous at the speed with which some of the smaller children were turning out castles!
Their elder sisters and brothers were more creative and skilful and many of their creations were one-off works of wonderful art though sadly short-lived.
One of the outstanding sculptures of the day featured a whale breaching the surface of the ocean which was the work of Heather and Ruby Duff and Craig Devenney which they called “Jumping for Joy”.
“We were intending to make a car” Heather said, “but someone else did one so we made a whale instead!”
The other car, by the way, was parked illegally ion the beach by none other than Barbie. It was an open topped beauty with custom plates – of course!
There are no losers in the Sandcastle and Sculpture Competition but here is a list of the prize winners for 2023:
Under 5
1st. Eddie & Izzie Peppard – Castle Moat with Fish
2nd. Teddy Kerr – Castle Courtyard
3rd. Matthew and Mariah Zyab – Reva
Under 8
1st. Killian & Jack Gilmore – Snake
2nd. Eve & Anna Sheehan – Fairycastle
3rd. Sean McDonagh – Kraken Island
Under 13
1st. Gemma Quinn – Bettystown Fort
2nd. Dariy & Misha Kelbas – I Love Chess
3rd. Zara O’Sullivan – Vegan Octopus
Family
1st. Dillon family – Skully
2nd. Tom & Katie Fleming – Swamp Monster
3rd. Coate Family – Jaws 6 1/2
Junior Sculpture
1st. Thomas Keating – Octopus
2nd. Tighearnan Tully – Shark
3rd. Anastaysha, Lisa, and Dasha – Ukraine & Ireland
Senior Sculpture
1st. Camille Hasse – Diver
2nd. Ieva Ofmane – Barbie Car
3rd. Conor & Siun Duff – GAA All-Ireland
