By Amy Ryan
Body&Soul is a festival that has grown to be one of Ireland’s biggest summer-time events.
There is a magical, fairytale vibe in the castle grounds, with walled gardens, winding forest walks and quirky artistic installations.
Located in Ballinlough Castle, Clonmellon, Co. Westmeath, the drive to the festival is not for the faint-hearted. We struggled a bit to find the entrance.
The facilities may need some tweaking, we thought - the showers only open briefly in the mornings and the queues aren’t really worth waiting in.
The same goes for the ATM. With only one on site, you could be waiting up to an hour to get some cash.
That said, the toilets are among the best I’ve seen. They were cleaned out every morning and there was even toilet paper in some of them. Now that is festival luxury.
Poor hygiene is a given when camping, you just have to accept that everyone is in the same boat and get on with it.
Of the acts, King Kong Company were the only band on my must-see list. They didn’t disappoint either, but we didn’t they blessed us with their presence for long enough. An hour felt too short a time to really get into it.
Incredible. Thank you @BodyandSoulIrl and everybody who came.#bodysoul17 pic.twitter.com/ujVKiU0BdO
— King Kong Company (@KingKongComp) June 25, 2017
Aside from them, there was a good mix of genres that could attract any audience and cater to all tastes.
So the music takes care of the traditional festival goers who are looking to party the weekend away, but what about the intellectuals?
The Library of Progress had some fantastic talks for people who want to discuss the meaning of life, and what not.
The Sanctuary could even provide spa treatments for all your diva needs. It was an unusual array of activities that I was surprised to see at a festival.
Before going, I wondered how all these activities would mix together. But, Body&Soul is most definitely a festival for anyone, of any age and of different interests.
It’s a family-friendly festival, with lots of activities for children and a family campsite.
Overall, the festival was one of the best I’ve been to in Ireland. Getting to the location is the worst part but once you're there, you’ll have a weekend that you won’t forget.
Another major plus is that it is an over 20s event.
Body&Soul has a friendly, hippy aura that differs to that of any other in Ireland. Don’t miss out on the festival while it is still relatively small, which won’t be for long.