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← All events seasonal · Sunday 20 September 2026 · Various

Sliabh Bawn Harvest Festival

At Ballybeg · Ballybeg, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon

Vintage machinery on display at Sliabh Bawn Harvest Festival

The Mid-Roscommon Vintage Club runs its Sliabh Bawn Harvest Festival at Ballybeg, near Strokestown, on Sunday, 20 September 2026. It is a working demonstration of old-style harvest methods rather than a static show, built around threshing, stone crushing and vintage machinery in action, with a corn-cutting ceremony traditionally marking the festival’s opening. It draws a mix of vintage machinery enthusiasts, farming families and anyone with an interest in how the harvest was done before combines took over.

What to expect

The day centres on vintage and veteran machinery working rather than parked up for display, with threshing and stone crushing demonstrations giving a sense of the labour involved in bringing in a harvest by hand and horse power. Classic cars, blacksmith demonstrations, live music and arts and crafts run alongside the machinery through the day, and the Mid-Roscommon Vintage Club, which organises the festival, welcomes traders and exhibitors who want to bring machinery or stalls. It is a community club event rather than a commercial festival, run by volunteers who maintain and show vintage equipment through the year, and it has become one of the more established autumn dates on the mid-Roscommon calendar.

Getting there

Ballybeg is close to Strokestown, on the N5 corridor about 25km north of Roscommon town. There is no direct bus service to Ballybeg itself, so a car is the practical option; parking is on site for the festival.

While you’re in Strokestown

Strokestown Park, with its Georgian house, walled gardens and Famine Museum, is a short drive from Ballybeg and worth combining with a visit to the harvest festival. There is more to see in Strokestown and across Co. Roscommon.

Good to know

  • Date: Sunday, 20 September 2026
  • Venue: Ballybeg, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon
  • Price: Not specified, check with organisers
  • Contact: Mid-Roscommon Vintage Club, midroscommonvintageclub@gmail.com
  • What’s on: Vintage machinery, threshing, stone crushing, blacksmith demonstrations, classic cars, live music, crafts
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Heading to Ballybeg in Strokestown? Roscommon has plenty more to see. Read the Strokestown area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.