BOYS IN SILK BLOUSES

GROWN men and young boys have taken to strolling the streets of Birr, Co Offaly, wearing silk blouses and stockings.

They have dandified themselves with garments from the wardrobes of their mothers, wives and sisters to recreate costumes of yesteryear for the town's 28th annual Vintage Week.

The Georgian Heritage town was in gregarious mood for the festival, which was officially launched yesterday by the singer Luka Bloom. The opening ceremony was followed by a colourful parade of bands, vintage cars, engines, floats, horses and carriages.

The celebrations continue until Sunday with exhibitions, open air concerts, pub performances of jazz, traditional and classical music, book sales, coin fairs and even a mongrel dog show. An antique and fine art fair which attracts dealers and buyers from all over the country will run from tomorrow to Thursday at the County Arms Hotel.

Birr Castle will host a performance of George Macklin's Restoration comedy, The London Vertigo, adapted by Brian Friel, next Friday and a concert by the Endymion Ensemble next Sunday.

An evening of revelry in Camcor Park on Thursday night will include a tug of war, a fireworks display by Theatre of Fire and music and belly dancing with the Drogheda Samba Band.

The celebrations move to Kinnitty Castle next Sunday for a "vintage experience" which includes hot air ballooning, pony and trap rides, maypole dancing, Punch and Judy puppets and displays of vintage cars and bicycles.

The town's Green Street hosted a traditional fair last Saturday with pens of sheep and other livestock, fruit, vegetable and bric a brac stalls and a fortune teller. Young musicians from the group Dersha sat in the sun outside Kelly's pub, entertaining the browsers some in vintage costumes with traditional music.

One little boy tugged on his father's sleeve vainly trying to persuade him to buy a duck while a woman shouted to a friend. "Are you here to buy a chicken?"

In Emmet Square, a crowd of children gathered to gape at a huge red and yellow Showman's Steam Engine which rolled into town blowing its whistle. The engine's owner, Osmond Bennett in from Kilkenny, has been attending the town for Vintage Week since he was knee high to a Jack Russell". The vehicle, built in 1911, was originally used for gene rating electricity for fairgrounds.

Many shop fronts along the main street were dressed with antique displays for the vintage window competition sponsored by the local Leo Club. This year's winner was W.K. Fayle and Co Hardware for a display recreating a 19th century office.

One of the judges who, to avoid the wrath of non-winners, insisted on anonymity said Fayle's was chosen because it showed "originality and effort".

Mr Lesley Draper, the shop's managing director, was clearly delighted with his prize of a silver plaque. "It's a big surprise," he said. "It's the first time I've ever won, anything other than an argument'

IN Birr Castle Demesne, the male and female players gathered for Saturday's cricket match looked like the cast of a Merchant Ivory film. Only their footwear sneakers and Doctor Martin boots gave them away.

A group of spectators in costumes from assorted bygone eras gathered at a shady tree stump to watch the match between the Irish Georgian Society and its Birr chapter.

It was played according to 1744 rules, under which the wicket is made of two stumps instead of three, four balls instead of six make an over and bowling is done under instead of over arm.

The rule book states that umpires are "the sole judges of all Outs and Ins, of all fair and unfair play, of frivolous delays of all hurts, whether real or pretended, and are discretionally to allow what time they think proper before the game goes on again"

"Massive cheating is also allowed" explained one player. "We're playing by English cheating rules."