• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Irish America

Irish America

        • Who We Are
          • About Us
          • Irish America Team
        • The Lists
          • Business 100
          • Hall of Fame
          • Health and Life Sciences 50
          • Wall Street 50
        • Highlights
          • History
          • In This Issue
          • Music
          • Politics
          • Sports
          • Travel
        • Columns
          • First Word
          • Hibernia
          • Quote Unquote
          • Slainte
          • Those we Lost
          • What are you like?
          • Wild Irish Women
          • Window on The Past
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • About This Magazine
    • Irish America Team
  • In This Issue
  • Hall of Fame
  • The Lists
    • Business 100
    • Hall of Fame
    • Health and Life Sciences 50
    • Wall Street 50
  • Archives
    • Magazine
    • Highlights
  • Travel
  • Events

Red Heads Galore
(Photos from the 6th Annual Red Head Convention)

By Julia Judge, Contributor
September 4, 2015

September 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Red heads galore – all shades, lengths, sizes and ages and a bunch of wanna-be’s too at the 6th annual Red Head Convention in Crosshaven, Co. Cork.

Turns out red hair and blue eyes are the rarest combo in the world –you wouldn’t have known in it Crosshaven Cork the weekend of Aug. 21st during the 6th annual Red Head Convention.

Crosshaven is a village near Cork City with beautiful views of the Cork Harbor and is famous for its Royal Cork Yacht Club, and jolly folks came as far as California and as close as around the corner to take part in the festivities. Fun facts were aplenty – red heads are more sensitive to pain (no dentist, please), less than two percent of the world’s population have red hair, the Romans kept redheaded slaves at a higher price and Mark Twain once quipped that “while the rest of the human race are descended from monkeys, redheads derive from cats.” Yikes.

There was a wonderful spirit of camaraderie, shared stories and good cheer throughout the weekend. Book readings/signings, speed dating, screenings, music, and carrot tossing for kids, as well as mandarin orange on a spoon race! Lots of awards were given including best red beard, the best red dog, curliest red hair, and most freckles, which among our group seemed to be a bit of a controversial choice, but in the spirit of the day, smiles prevailed. Kerry man Alan Reidy, had the most amazing hair, a wild red afro, coupled with his sweet smile, freckles and dimples was rightfully crowned the King of the Redheads and the lovely Grainne Keena from Cork was our Queen. They led the parade of red heads around the village, leaving traffic in their stead — it was dazzling!

This redhead was happy to be in Ireland. How could almost 10 years have passed since I’d been back? I proudly have my EU passport courtesy of my maternal grandparents (Kerry and Wexford); I’m part of the Irish American community in NYC and am drawn to Irish culture. But after an accident kept me out of commission for a few months last year, as I recovered, my state of mind was all about getting back to Ireland. When I arrived a sigh of pleasure took over my body. I was home. ♦

All Photos by KJ Patton.

Red Head Convention 2015 - red heads
Red Head Convention 2015.
Red Head Convention - 2014 Queen with 2015 King
Red Head Convention – 2014 Queen with 2015 King.
Red Head Convention -scientific freckle counting 1
Scientific freckle counting at the Red Head Convention.
Red Head Convention 2015 - scientific freckle counting 2
More freckle counting.
Red Head Convention 2015  - Crosshaven, Cork Harbor
Sailing competition at Crosshaven, Cork Harbor during the Red Head Convention.
Red Head Convention 2015 - kids game
Orange spoon race at the Red Head Convention.
Red Head Convention 2015 - king and queen
The King and Queen in their regalia at the 6th Annual Red Head Convention.
Ruby Patton, Julia Judge & Kate Patton at the Red Headed Convention.
Ruby Patton, Julia Judge & Kate Patton at the Red Headed Convention.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joanne Langenbach says

    September 5, 2015 at 11:21 am

    Hi, This article was very interesting to me. I never knew there was a Red Head Convention in Ireland – Yea! It is wonderful to see & hear about the beauty of our Red Heads. I always thought it was great being a Red Head; even if mine is on the brown side (some red highlights). News to me that there is a freckle counter – I used to try & count them when I was a kid – & that my friends is a very long time ago – ha:) Anyway, hats off to the Red Head Convention – Great fun is shown in the pictures, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Rose says

    September 15, 2015 at 1:50 am

    What a lovely article. Personally, I love the judges!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Highlights

News
Articles and stories from Irish America.....
MORE

Hibernia
News from Ireland and happenings in Irish America.....
MORE

Those We Lost
Remembering some of the great Irish Americans who have passed.....
MORE

Slainte!
Discover Irish ancestry, predilections, and recipes.....
MORE

Photo Album
Irish America readers share the stories of their ancestors....
MORE

More Articles

  • <b>News Roundup August 13, 2022</b>News Roundup August 13, 2022
    IFTA Announces 'An Cailín Ciúin' as Ireland's submission for Best International Feature Film An ...
  • <b>News Roundup July 30, 2022</b>News Roundup July 30, 2022
    Former UUP Member David Trimble Dies Age 77 David Trimble, an esteemed member of the Ulster ...
  • <b>News Roundup July 23, 2022</b>News Roundup July 23, 2022
    Sinn Féin Vice President Michelle O’Neill Meets with U.S. Lawmakers to Secure Good Friday Agree...
  • <b>News Roundup July 16, 2022</b>News Roundup July 16, 2022
    Sparks Fly in Northern Ireland Photo: Getty Images Under heightened police presence and tight ...

Footer

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Give a Gift
  • Newsletter
  • Customer Service

Additional

  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · IrishAmerica Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in