Zombie Walk Set To Return

The Annual Zombie Walk is making its ‘haunting’ return after two seasons of inactivity and will take place from Friday, October 29, to Saturday, October 30 after the bank holiday weekend taking at 6:45 pm, 7:45 pm and 8:45 pm on both days in Garbally Woods.

Set in the parkland of the historic Clancarty Mansion, complete with its own resident ghost – the White Lady – the three-kilometre walk will be bedecked with a cast of witches, zombies, goblins, pixies, and Garbally House staff from the eighteenth Century who had left their tombs to haunt the walk.

Organized by the Town Team and coordinated by Ballinasloe Area Community Development in response to the Town Benchmarking Plan – to incorporate more family activities into our annual calendar of events – the event was branded a huge success by attendees and organizers alike for the first season before a storm and Covid-19 robbed two seasons!
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After parking in Ardscoil Mhuire, patrons will again go to the handball alleys to queue for their walk. Groups of 15 will be taken by Zombie guides – all past staff members of Lady Clancarty’s Household.

This year the route will go through the woods, to the Zombie Training Compound and the Witches Coven.

The Zombie Walk is suitable for all ages from five to 105 but again organizers are recommending that children under the age of 12 are accompanied by their parents/guardians.

The main organizing partners, led by Seamus Duffy of the Ballinasloe Area Community Development, are Ballinasloe Musical Society, the Town Hall Theatre and Ballinasloe Panto.

BACD Chairperson Seamus Duffy said: “on previous occasions, we had over 60 stewards as well as performers and this year we are appealing to other clubs and organizations to lend us their volunteers for a few hours on the build-up and the nights.”

This year tickets are priced at €10 per person. The money raised from the walk will go towards the funding of the Town Team Projects. This year the tickets are exclusively being sold online via Ballinasloe Town Hall and will be available on their Facebook page early this month and the plan is to be able to sell pre-allocated time slots to reduce the queue time. Parents are advised to keep an eye out on the Ballinasloe Life Facebook page and Ballinasloe.ie for full details.

Seamus continued: “We are thrilled as a group that Fr Allman and the governors of Garbally are allowing us to use the grounds and proceeds raised will be distributed to the local community groups involved,”

An information evening will be held for volunteers on Thursday, October 18, at 8 pm in Gullane's Hotel. So far more than 60 volunteers have applied for this year’s Zombie Walk but New volunteers are very welcome and are encouraged to come on the night!