A FANTASTIC vintage tea weekend is taking place over the coming weekend in Ardfert and organisers are hoping the public gets behind the unique event.

The cottage adjacent to the home of Josephine and Patrick O’Riordan is transformed into vintage tea rooms where everyone is encouraged to dress up in ‘Downton Abbeyesque’ garb to get into the spirit of things.

Since beginning two years ago, the event has grown into a huge attraction and last year around €5,000 was raised for the Kerry Parents and Friends Association. Josephine and Patrick’s daughter, Siobhan, attends the facility in Listowel.

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Unfortunately, the cottage, which is around 200 years old, is fully booked up for the two days, with everyone asked to make a €10 donation. There are a number of sittings throughout Saturday and Sunday.

However, if people want to call up to the house on the Station Road (about 300 yards past the school) and make a donation into the buckets, the O’Riordan’s would greatly appreciate it.

“We have 225 coming on Saturday and 150 on Sunday,” said Phil Stack, who helps the O’Riordan’s organise the event. “This is the third year of the event. The first year it was held on one day and we had 1oo people and we saw the demand was there to extend it, so the year after we had 200 people over two days,” added Phil Stack.

All the food and home baking is sponsored by local businesses for which the O’Riordan’s expressed their gratitude.

“We encourage people to make an effort by dressing up and we have ‘servants’ in outfits serving the tea and home baking,” said Josephine, who thanked everyone who helps out on the day and make it such a success.