The Running of the Sheep will return to Boorowa’s Marsden Street on Sunday 4 October as the centrepiece of Irish Woolfest. Photo: Boorowa Irish Woolfest/Facebook.
For most of the year, traffic has right of way on Boorowa’s Marsden Street. On Sunday 4 October, it will belong to the sheep.
The Running of the Sheep returns as the centrepiece of Boorowa Irish Woolfest, a three-day celebration of wool, Irish heritage and country life in the Hilltops town over the October long weekend.
It may be the moment everyone waits for, but there is plenty to see before the sheep arrive.
Woolfest’s fringe program begins on Friday 2 October with the opening of the Boorowa Charity Art Exhibition and Sale at the Old Courthouse Building.
The $25 opening night is a fundraiser for the town’s two schools.
Live music is also planned at The Occasional Wine Bar and the Boorowa Hotel.
The fringe program continues on Saturday, putting wool and the people who work with it in the spotlight.
Shearers will compete at the Boorowa Ex-Services Club from 11 am to 3 pm, while the Boorowa Op Shop hosts an upcycled fashion contest – which challenges makers to turn old clothing and materials into something new – from 9 am to 2 pm.
At least half of each finished garment must be wool fibre, and the winners will be announced during Sunday’s festivities.
From 3 pm, the celebrations move to Boorowa Park where children can tackle a treasure hunt, watch a movie under the stars or head for the jumping castles or have their faces painted.
Food stalls and an emergency services display are also planned, with fireworks scheduled for 8 pm.
Sunday is the main festival day. Young Town Band opens the Marsden Street stage at 9 am, followed by children’s story time, dancing and a combined pipe band performance.
The Blessing of the Fleece begins at 11:45 am, shortly before the official opening and parade at 12:15 pm.
Then farmers and sheepdogs will guide a flock of Merinos along Marsden Street at 12:40 pm as crowds line the route to watch the animals behind Boorowa’s wool-growing reputation take over the town centre.
The Running of the Sheep is Woolfest’s signature event, but visitors can also get a closer look at the skills behind the spectacle as working kelpies give three demonstrations during the day.
And there’s a Shearing Shack to visit.
Woodchopping and circus performances are also scheduled, alongside displays of antique engines, tractors and cars.
For the festival’s “Little Lambs”, there will be sideshow alley, a petting zoo and pony rides, more face painting and balloon twisting.
Market stalls will offer local produce, handmade goods and sheep-inspired gifts, while a leprechaun or two may cause some Irish mischief along the way.
Music also features strongly on the program, including Boorowa singer Josie Laver who will perform on the main stage before and after the sheep run.
Raised on her family farm, she returned to songwriting after pursuing professional showjumping.
Double Shot Maggie, back with its lively take on Irish music, will play at the Boorowa Hotel on Saturday night before returning for several Sunday sets.
Anyone with an appetite after lunch can try the Guinness Pie Eating Competition at 2 pm which forms part of the afternoon’s crowd participation contests.
There’s also the opportunity for visitors, and locals, to test their Irish accents.
There is more to see beyond the festival route.
Boorowa Museum, the charity art exhibition and the Boorowa Arts and Crafts Co-op will all stay open on Saturday and Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, music continues at local venues, where visitors can also settle in to watch the NRL grand final that evening.
Woolfest began in the late 1990s as Wool Week – a chance to show off the fine Merino wool produced around Boorowa.
Wool shows, workshops and shearing displays filled the program, and sheep were already leading a street parade through town.
The Irish part of the name arrived in 2000, but Boorowa’s connection with Ireland goes back much further.
Cousins Ned Ryan and Roger Corcoran were transported to NSW after taking part in the destruction of a building intended to house British soldiers in Clonoulty, County Tipperary.
They later settled in the Boorowa district, where more Irish families followed. Boorowa and Clonoulty still acknowledge that connection.
Woolfest now brings both strands of the town’s history onto Marsden Street: the Merinos that made the district known for its wool, and the music and pipe bands that celebrate its Irish roots.
The sheep will have Marsden Street for only a few minutes but between the shearers, working dogs, woodchoppers, musicians and artists, Boorowa has found plenty to fill the rest of the weekend.
The Boorowa Irish Woolfest runs from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October, with the main festival on Sunday. The full program is available here.
