Limerick Man Finds Needle In Bunratty Haystack

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Friday, 24 September 2010 08:58

Written by Denise Lyons

Limerick man Dan Mooney was in Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Co. Clare, this week on a mission to find a needle in a haystack.

The challenge, which was set by the popular Today FM’s Ray D’Arcy radio show, was organised by Shannon Heritage staff at the popular visitor attraction.

The event was broadcast live during the morning on the Ray D’Arcy radio show and reached an estimated 300,000 people through the show and a social networking campaign co-ordinated by Shannon Development, Shannon Heritage and Today FM. Today FM gets over one million page views monthly, with the Ray D’Arcy Show Blog being the most popular show.

“We were delighted to help Dan and the show. We supplied the haystack, needle and blindfold, and even offered Dan the services of Grainne one of the Folk Park’s resident wolfhounds to help sniff out the darning needle. Unfortunately Grainne being a wolfhound and not a bloodhound, was unable to help, but she did lend her moral support while snoozing close by,” said Aodhagan Behan, Operation Manager, Shannon Heritage.

Despite this set back Dan successful completed the challenge and found the needle in just over three hours.

“It was a great opportunity for us to get national exposure for the Folk Park and tied nicely into a traditional harvest festival we are holding at the Park next Sunday from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm. Harvest traditions from over 100 years ago will be brought to life by farm workers at the Park to give visitors, especially younger visitors, a chance to enjoy living history.  As part of the event vintage threshing machines will be used to demonstrate the art of threshing, there will be horse shoe demonstrations at the forge and a sheaf throwing competition. So we had no problem supplying the haystack for Dan to do his challenge,” said Mr. Behan.

In April this year Dan set himself the challenge of doing something brand new every day for a year and a day. Since then he has being doing a variety of wonderful and wacky challenges, for example he has already sat in every seat in Thomond Park Stadium, and posed as a mannequin in a shop window in Limerick.

Dan has created a Blog of his adventures which he regularly updates at www.theproject366things.blogspot.com .