THE OFFALY VILLAGE of Moneygall is to host a new annual festival, with its first incarnation taking place just a few hours after the departure of US president Barack Obama – in a move aimed at softening the blow for those who cannot get tickets to attend Obama’s visit.

The Irish Independent reports that Offaly County Council has agreed to assist with the catering for the inaugural Moneygall Festival, which will have its attendance limited to roughly 5,000 given the relatively paltry capacity of Moneygall’s streets.

The festival is intended to try and ward off the prospect of chronic overcrowding at the Obama visit, for which a date has yet to be fixed – though locals suspect the visit will take place on Monday 23 May, the day after a prospective address at Dublin’s Croke Park.

A meeting took place yesterday to begin making arrangements for the event, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny advising that the organisers will be given confirmation of the visiting dates as soon as they have been confirmed by Washington.

“Progress certainly seems to be going well,” local cleric Canon Stephen Neill told the Independent. “We’re making lots of improvements and work is continuing at a pace never witnessed before.”

Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng yesterday told Ryan Tubridy she also hoped to be able to visit Ireland at some point soon.