Dara Hogan <<email>> writes:

The Irish Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (IHPA) is delighted to announce the resurrection of the Celtic Cup Competition. The Celtic Cup will be held at Mount Leinster over the Bank Holiday weekend from 1st to 4th May 2009 which coincides with the 35th Anniversary of the founding of IHPA. This is preliminary notification for diaries and pilots should note that 4th May is a Bank Holiday in both Ireland and the UK. The next edition will carry detailed information on the competition which will probably be based at Bunclody, County Wexford. There will be a wide variety of accommodation options and IHPA looks forward to welcoming partners and families to enjoy Ireland’s famous Céad Míle Fáilte (one hundred, thousand welcomes)!

Naturally, there will be two competitions in parallel - the paragliding event will complement the historical hang gliding event. Better still, the paragliders have even promised not to fly further than the hang gliders! While there will undoubtedly be serious competition between the top pilots, IHPA are taking steps to ensure that the Celtic Cup will be a “fun for all” event. Music, drinking and debauchery are planned as well as a very special evening on the Saturday night (2nd May). There will be a back-up plan in the event of unfavourable weather as well as details of sight-seeing and recreational options for non-flying, non-retrieving visitors.

Intending visitors should note that only full-blooded Celts are permitted to enter the Celtic Cup. By definition the six Celtic nations are Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Any others (especially English pilots!) Wishing to attend will need to carefully consider the options open to them such as disguises, false beards and plastic surgery.

The hang gliding event will be managed by IHPA HG Competitions Officer, Geoff McMahon, who can be contacted on +353 86 233-8127 and the paragliding event will be managed by IHPA PG Competitions Officer, Eoin Hogan, who can be contacted on +353 86 812-2030. Watch this space for further details to follow!

Check out our websites at: www.ihpa.ie and www.aeroclub.ie