A story from Warrenpoint

Wake the Giant

In short: Wake the Giant is a Warrenpoint festival that brings the legends of Fionn mac Cumhaill to life with street theatre, music, workshops and parades.

Wake the Giant brings the old tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill out onto the streets, with street theatre, music, workshops and parades. It's folklore you can see, hear and join in with, not just read about.

Go and see it

Join the parade and follow the giant through town.

Make a day of it: With kids Locals love

Questions people ask

What is Wake the Giant?

A festival of street theatre, music, workshops and parades based on the tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool).

Is Wake the Giant good for kids?

Yes. It's built around joining in, with a parade to follow through town.

Sources: Annual festival. Spotted something we should correct? Let us know.

Then, nearby

Somewhere to eat or drink afterwards, closest first.

Cafés · Warrenpoint

Leafy Greens & Co.

Vegetarian café and deli on Church St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint30–60 min

Cafés · Warrenpoint

Church Lane Coffee

Coffee shop on Church St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint30–60 min

Restaurants · Warrenpoint

The Wheelbarrow

Restaurant on Mary St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint1–2 hours

More stories from Warrenpoint

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How the train made Warrenpoint a holiday town

From 1849 until 1965 the railway ran right into Warrenpoint, and it changed the place. The railway company didn't just bring people here: it put money into hotels and entertainment so they'd stay. That's a big part of why Warrenpoint became somewhere you came for your holidays, not somewhere you passed through.

Stroll the seafront and picture the trains unloading holidaymakers a few streets away.

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The grand hotel that went bust in a year

The Beach Hotel opened in March 1885 with fifty rooms, a billiard room, a smoking room, and baths with hot, cold, fresh and salt water. It was a big bet, and it didn't pay off for its owner, Henry Stanley, who went bankrupt the following year. The Great Northern Railway Company bought it, made it bigger and folded it into their seaside holiday business.

Walk the front and look up at the old hotel buildings that line it.

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From grand hotel to school

The Great Northern Hotel stopped being a hotel in 1923, but the building carried on. Over the years it was a boarding school, a day school and a home for elderly men. One building, and you can follow the whole story of the town in it: from Victorian holidays to classrooms and care.

Look out for the old Great Northern building on your walk through town.