Mary from Dungloe Festival's social media magician 'thrilled' to play her part

Eimear Walsh’s social media skills have brought the Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival to new levels over the past two years - and she’s loved the experience.

Dungloe native Eimear, who attended Rosses Community School, has completed third-year Digital Marketing student studying at the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT).

She set up DigiDomhan marketing to explore her passion for digital marketing and took charge of all the social media accounts linked to the Mary From Dungloe Festival and experienced great success in promoting it.

Eimear first took up the role close to home in 2023 and was behind the camera and posting to the socials again for this year’s festival, which concluded with Letterkenny’s Clare O’Donnell - the Donegal Mary - being crowned as the Mary from Dungloe at the plush Crowning Cabaret.

“Words can’t capture the magic of this year’s Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival,” Eimear posted. “Volunteering for the second year has been an incredible experience and a valuable learning opportunity. Seeing Dungloe filled with such huge crowds and vibrant energy from opening night to the final event was amazing.

Congratulations to our Donegal Mary, crowned the 2024 Mary From Dungloe! To all the Mary contestants, it’s been a joy working with you over the past few months. You’ve represented your regions with pride and should be very proud of yourselves.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported me, not just this week but throughout the past year. Special thanks to our 2023 Mary From Dungloe Adele Morgan - you have been the most amazing ambassador for the festival over the past year, to the Mary Godmothers: Bridgeen Doherty, Alannagh McGlynn, Paula Greene, Angela Medford, and Deirdre Wilson and to Eoin McGarvey, Emma Sweeney, and Brid Sweeney.

“To the people who made it all happen and trusted me to take over the socials, thank you! To our festival co-directors Gavin Boyle, Pat Nora Gallagher, and Pat Connaghan, working with you has been a pleasure. Your trust and support mean the world to me. I’m thrilled to see the festival grow stronger each year, connecting people worldwide to the heart of Dungloe. Here’s to many more successful festivals ahead!”