Welcome

1-5 June 2023

The SCA Shire of Dun In Mara welcomes you back to Strawberry Raid, five days of medieval camping around the beautifully restored 15th-16th century tower house of Sigginstown Castle, in the beautiful sunny South-East of Ireland.

We will enjoy a range of medieval activities from the arts, crafts and camp cookery to the martial pursuits of armoured combat, fencing and archery. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome across the board.

Contents

Event Fees
Event News
Attendees
Accessibility
Code of Conduct
Travel
Camping
Food & Other Supplies
Weather
Activities
Schedule
Event Team

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Event Fees

Fees include camping (where relevant) and the booking engine administration fees.

Children under 6 are free of charge in all categories, but please indicate their number in the booking form so that we can keep track of overall numbers.

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Event News

Event News is here! All the updates as they happen.

Attendees

A list of people who have already booked, and given consent for their names to appear will appear here after bookings open:
Attending

Accessibility

The ground of the site is level but uneven, including gravel and fields. The restored period tower house has narrow steep spiral stairs and small rooms. The stairs have handrails installed. Any activities inside the tower are likely to take place in the first two floors.

The barn is within a short reach of the camping area across an uneven ground. The barn itself has a gravel floor.

Portaloos/portapotties are the only available toilets on the site. Tents for anyone with mobility issues can be placed closer to the toilets, paths and access ways. Please contact the camping coordinator Aodh Ó Siadhail at aodhosiadhail@gmail.com to let him know in advance.

During dark hours, we will have small lights marking the entrances to the encampment as well as near the toilets. Please feel free to bring flashlights if you need them to move around in the dark.

Noise in the camp is requested to be minimal during certain hours (est. 11 pm - 8 am).

Code of Conduct

We have a zero tolerance policy of all bullying, harassment, abuse and hate speech, including but not limited to gender identity, age, religion, ethnicity/race, sexual orientation, ability and body type. Event participants will be expected to be polite toward other SCA participants as well as toward any members of the public who may attend; to respect other people and respect their needs: and to take all reasonable steps to make everyone feel welcome and safe within our Society.

Any event participant who feels they are not safe at the event is requested to immediately contact the event staff. The steward on duty will be easily identifiable.

Any event participant found in breach of the Code of Conduct will be asked to leave the event and not return to any event, practice or other gathering organised by the Shire of Dun In Mara.

If you would like to know more, please consult our shire’s Inclusivity Statement as well as the Code of Conduct of the Kingdom of Drachenwald.

Travel

The event is easily reachable from Dublin Airport via the M11, 20 minutes drive from Wexford railway station, and 15 minutes drive from Rosslare ferryport with connections to the UK and continental Europe. We may be able to provide pick-ups from Wexford and Rosslare on a case by case basis, please discuss your needs with the Reservations Steward.

Driving from Dublin Airport is straightforward via the M1, M50, M11/N11 and N25. It takes about two hours. The main roads are well kept and well signposted and foreign drivers generally don’t find driving on the main roads difficult, despite driving on the left. Some motorways have tolls. If you’re hiring a car, ask your rental agency what the protocol is concerning road tolls.

Coordinates: 52.20591, -6.444499 (main event gate)

If you’re driving from Rosslare ferryport, just follow Google or another map provider. Your drive will take about 15-20 minutes.

Public transport from Dublin is available via bus and train.

Bus: Bus Eireann route 2-X2 Dublin Airport - Wexford Town. From Wexford town, you should take a taxi or arrange a lift.

Train: Irish Rail route Dublin Connolly Station - Rosslare Europort. We recommend that you get off in Wexford town to maximise the availability of taxis, if you need one.

A taxi from Wexford town should take about 20 minutes to the site.

If you need a pick-up from Wexford town or from Rosslare, in the first instance please talk to your friends about arranging a car pool. If this is not possible, please talk to the Reservations Steward about a pick-up. Please note that these are strictly subject to available vehicles and available drivers. We need to know about any pick-ups required at least one week before the event. A pick-up may incur a small charge due to the high cost of fuel.

The Site

Sigginstown Castle is owned by SCA members who very generously open their home for us. Please respect their generosity, their home and their neighbours at all times. Any requests from the site owners must be complied with immediately. Smoking is forbidden indoors including inside the barn.

Camping Food & Other Supplies

Weather

Ireland is an Atlantic island, so we get a lot of rain, but in shorter bursts than our friends in continental climates. It is pretty typical to have a sunny morning and a rainy afternoon, and other way round. Wind, in various quantities, is pretty much omnipresent, more so on the coasts. Sigginstown is very close to the sea, and the camping field does not have much in the way of sheltering trees or buildings, so you will want to make sure that your tent is well secured. Very flimsy modern gazebos are unlikely to survive throughout the event, although a bigger, sturdier one sheltered a large camp kitchen successfully in the first year.

On rainy days, as long as your tent does not spring a leak, you should remain nice and dry inside, as the ground is able to accommodate a lot of rain. We have the barn and the tower house to gather in during bad weather.

It is impossible to predict what the weather is going to be like until a couple of days prior to the event, and even then the outlook may change quickly. We estimate that we will have some sunshine, and some rain, with day temperatures anything between 15°C/59°F and 23°C/73.4°F. It’s a good idea to bring layered garb with a rain-resistant overgarment. If you have the baggage space, a woollen overgarment and a hat, at least for evenings, nights and early mornings, is a good idea.

Activities

Watch this space for details on our organised activities during the event. We expect to have classes, practice and tourneys in our martial pursuits, as well as plenty of classes and fun projects in our arts & sciences.

Visiting Teacher (Armoured Combat)

This year, our visiting teacher at armoured combat will be Duke Timmur Jochan (KSCA, OD, OP) from the Kingdom of Artemisia.

Schedule

The Schedule is available as a live Google Sheet.

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Event Team

Contact Master Agnes at agneslaverte@gmail.com with any queries.

Head Steward: Master Agnes Boncuer agneslaverte@gmail.com
Site Coordinator: Maestra Damiana Illaria d’Onde Lizjones429@earthlink.net
Reservations: Lady Aoife ni Aodhagain aoifeniaodhagain@gmail.com
Camping & Facilities team: Máistir Aodh Ó Siadhail aodhosiadhail@gmail.com and Hugh Biqutous
Armoured Combat & Marshal in Charge: Lord Aodhan Dha Cheist Aidanbarron1@gmail.com
Rapier and Cut & Thrust (steel fencing): Master Duncan Chaucer p.macfad@gmail.com
Archery: TBC
Arts & Sciences (arts & crafts activities): Lady Anneleyn Cornelisse hilary.donraadt@gmail.com
Herald in Charge: Dame Lisette de la Rose areshawna@gmail.com
Royal Liaison team: Sabrina of Dun In Mara & Brenna of Dun In Mara