Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017 highlights the spirit of Limerick

Pictured at the launch of the Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017: John Cleary, EBS Limerick (William Street), Roisin Meaney, Limerick Author and Liam Toland, PIF Ambassador. Photo: Oisin McHugh/True Media

Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017 

The Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017 will take place in Limerick from March 11 -17 with a number of free events and activities designed to highlight the kindness in every part of Limerick city.  Details of the Festival were announced at a launch event in Chez le Fab, Arthurs Quay where Mayor Kieran Hanlon, author Roisin Meaney and other supporters of the festival from the world of business and the arts were in attendance.

Pictured: Michael O Mahony speaking at the launch of Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017.
Photo: Oisin McHugh/True Media

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From March 11 to 17, teams of volunteers, local businesses and the people of Limerick who are embracing the Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017 will be busy carrying out intentional acts of kindness. This will include little gestures such as restaurants giving free tea or coffee to a customer or children baking buns and delivering them to the unsung heroes of the community.  People who receive these acts of kindness will be encouraged to carry it on in return to someone else, creating the ripple effect.

The action-packed Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017 programme includes meditation and mindfulness sessions, a kayaking programme and kindness in sport, all of which is free and open to all members of the public. There will be ‘kindness zones’ throughout the city, as well as a family fun day on Bedford Row on Saturday, March 11 with lots of events such as face painting, dancing, animal petting booth, medical and physio booths and many other surprises.

Michael O’Mahony, Chair of the Pay It Forward Kindness Festival 2017 committee explained the concept behind the Kindness Festival, “Pay It Forward harnesses the positive momentum and energy of carrying out kind acts. Our aim for the Limerick Kindness Festival is to create a ripple effect; that the ripple will develop into a wave of kindness and that people will continue to carry out acts of kindness for the duration of the festival and throughout the rest of the year. Together we can make Limerick the kindest city in Ireland.”

“Each year we are building on the momentum of the previous year’s success. The feedback that we have received tells us that these interactive experiential activities – where kids, families, people from all backgrounds can get involved – are having a lasting impact. People are enjoying the opportunity to slow down, have the space to be together and embrace kindness,” he continued.

Pictured at the launch, from left, was Theresa Kiely and Angela O’Sullivan from 32nd Limerick St Paul’s Scouts. Photo: Oisin McHugh/True Media

During the launch, Liam Toland, former Munster rugby player and TV presenter, was announced as an ambassador for the Pay It Forward charity. The Unity Gospel Choir Limerick were also on hand to help raise the roof for kindness.

Ronan Brannigan, General Manager for Savoy Hotel, Limerick, said, “We’ve been proud supporters of Pay It Forward since the inception of the Kindness Festival. Coming from the hospitality industry we completely appreciate the value of kindness and looking out for one another. I would encourage businesses right across the city to get behind the Festival and help create this wave of kindness so that Limerick becomes know as a centre of kindness.

Michael O’Mahony concluded, “I would like to pay special thanks to all our sponsors, supporters and volunteers for making this event possible and showing the community spirit alive in our city.  I hope everybody will take the opportunity to get involved.”

To download a programme or for further details on the Festival please click here

For more information on Pay It Forward click here