Magnus Barelegs Viking Festival 2007 - Press Room

Taken from the Down Recorder - 2/5/07

Two wheeled vikings plan invasion

Motorbike enthusiasts are in for a treat at next month’s Magnus Barelegs Viking Festival in Killyleagh. The organisers of the international event have confirmed that the Province Wide Hog Chapter of the Harley Davidson Owners’ Club will be taking part in the pre-harbour boat race parade on Sunday, May 20.

And members of the Hog will also be swapping horse power for muscle power as they have entered a team in the rowing race. Mr. Tony Davies, the chairman of the Killyleagh Social Partnership (KSP), which is organising the event, is delighted the Harley Owners are heading for Killyleagh. “Everyone likes to see a Harley, so to have between 50 and 100 of them in the town will be every young, and not so young, boy’s dream,” he said.

“After the bikes have taken part in the parade they will be on display in the town and this will undoubtedly attract a lot of interest.”Meanwhile, Colin Spieres, Director of the Province Wide Hog, said the Barelegs festival “sounds like an interesting event” and the sort of thing it likes to get involved with.

He said it will also provide members with an opportunity to raise money for its two charities; the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice and the Disabled Bikers Association. Interest is also growing in the series of events which will take place at Delamont Country Park the day before the Viking races.

Philip Campbell, of the Magnus Vikings, said there has been an impressive list of applications from Viking re-enactors. “We hope to have over 100 people on the battlefield as part of the re-enactment and the result should be spectacular,” he said.

“While the majority of the re-enactors will be coming from Ireland, our friends are returning once again from Bergen in Norway and there will also be re-enactors from as far away as Poland. Philip explained that also this year, would-be Vikings will have the chance to have a go at learning skills, while children will be shown some of the basic Viking skills. In addition, they will be given a tour around the Celtic village to gain an understanding of how people lived when the Vikings and Celts co-existed in Co Down.