It’s circus season, and colourful big tops are popping up in towns around Ireland. The Gerbola Circus is preparing to celebrate 25 years in business. “This May is a big one for us,” says Tara Gerbola. “On May 23rd 25 years ago, we opened in Stradbally. We started off really small, with a credit union loan, and we focus on family, on quality. We pay attention to detail and keep things cosy.” The Gerbola Circus will be on the road until the end of October, she says. “The season has got longer, and we now do three weeks at Christmas. Prior to Covid there wasn’t a demand. “Mindsets have changed since Covid. People are looking for more of a family experience. We also get couples, and grandparents bring kids, a lot of that. The old live entertainment is the best.” Tara and her husband, Mikey, both have the circus in their blood. Tara is from the McFadden family, who had a travelling roadshow, and Mikey’s family has specialised in clowning for generations. Their sons Blake Dean and Michael Cole are now students who help out at weekends and during every holiday, while their 14-year-old daughter, Isabella Alice Mona, performs with her parents. “We have Brazilian, Colombian, Argentinian staff, plus Irish of course.” Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC https://www.longfordleader.ie/section/1238/advertise-with-us weather & more in Longford and County Longford All the latest breaking local news from Longford and County Longford Keep up to date with the latest sports news Read all the latest Irish news and updates from around Ireland Find whats happening in and around Longford and County Longford Enjoy our award winning photos and picture galleries taken in Longford and County Longford Read about the latest properties available in Longford and County Longford Enjoy our latest and up to date motoring review and news in Longford and County Longford Longford and County Longford Met Eireann Weather Forecast Recent death notices and obituaries from Longford and County Longford Latest environmental and climate change news in County Longford Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter Support our mission and join our community now you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism will make her Irish debut in Longford on Thursday March 21 under the Circus Gerbola Big Top at Pearse Park The social media Circus star is part of Circus Gerbola's brand new 2024 show that launches at Pearse Park Longford on March 21 The event will mark one of her first ever performances in Ireland and she is very excited to get started "I am thrilled to be coming to Ireland to tour with Circus Gerbola and I cannot wait to get started It’s been a dream of mine to work in Ireland and I’m delighted that my Irish premiere will be in Longford I’ve got lots of followers in county Longford and I cannot wait to see you all at the show," enthused Chloe Jayne.  Chloe Jayne has amassed nearly 400,000 followers on Tik Tok with her daring display in which she literally hangs by her hair high above the Circus ring Her social media accounts profile her life as she tours the world with her act as well as a unique ‘behind the scenes’ look into the magical world of Circus Chloe Jayne has performed all over the world and most recently headlined an award winning Dutch Circus near Amsterdam over Christmas She will join Circus Gerbola as they commence their 9 month tour of Ireland which will bring them to every county in the country The popular Meath based Circus bring their Nationwide tour of Ireland to Pearse Park Longford from Thursday March 21 to Sunday "Our spectacular 2024 show has something for everyone and will keep young and old enthralled We are really looking forward to our visit to Pearse Park and we can guarantee Longford families that an afternoon under the Circus Gerbola Big Top will create memories that will last a lifetime." The two hour show boasts an international galaxy of stars featuring some of the most famous acts in Circus including the legendary ‘Flying Trapeze’ Chloe Jayne’s Hair Hanging act also promises to be a much talked about highlight of the show and has to be seen to be believed Tickets can now be purchased on www.circusgerbola.ie  " + $(".testo_articolo").html().replace(//g please subscribe and support local journalism Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles To continue reading this article for FREE,please kindly register and/or log in Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news FILE PHOTO: Image by Joshua Miranda from Pixabay Picture: Facebook Longford Slashers Gaelic Football Club Midland Hearing Care looks at what is perilymphatic fistula Liam Brady plays Bill Snibson while Lindsay Dann plays Sall in St Mel’s Musical Society's production of Me and My Girl Minster Alan Dillon at the opening of the new offices The Longford GAA day saw quite the turn out even Marty Morrisey made his way down for the 21st Longford Day at Punchestown Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie The talented Elite Squad performers from Wicklow’s Spotlight Studios are preparing for a big day under the Big Top as they take centre stage at Circus Gerbola when it comes to Ashford on Friday Having recently concluded their highly acclaimed End of Year Show at Gorey Theatre the Elite Squad is eager to showcase two of their most exhilarating numbers in this thrilling collaboration with Circus Gerbola With their dedication and exceptional talent they are poised to leave spectators in awe with their showstopping acts The partnership between Spotlight Studios and Circus Gerbola is a perfect match and it comes as no surprise that Spotlight offers a Circus Camp among its many exciting summer camp themes This unique opportunity allows aspiring performers to delve into the captivating world of circus life honing their skills and gaining hands-on experience under the guidance of industry professionals "We couldn't be more thrilled to join forces with Circus Gerbola," says Kerry Smith a local Performing Arts teacher who founded Spotlight Studios in the popular harbour location in Wicklow town after teaching for many years and seeing the devastation that Covid had wreaked on local community groups "This collaboration allows our Elite Squad to explore new horizons and push the boundaries of their abilities It's an incredible chance for them to learn from the best in the business and bring a touch of magic to Ashford." The excitement is palpable among the performers who have been practising tirelessly to deliver a mesmerizing show Their dedication and commitment shine through every gravity-defying flip and every graceful dance step and their inclusion in Circus Gerbola is testament to their exceptional talent and unwavering passion for the performing arts Tickets for Circus Gerbola, at Ashford Roundabout on June 23, can be bought from circusgerbola.ie Irish NewsDarkness into Light 2025: locate your nearest walk for Pieta HouseAs registration deadlines come to a close communities across Ireland are warming up for the annual Darkness into Light Walk for Pieta House when they kicked off a new season of shows at Navan Racecourse last week The Navan-based Big Top entertainers held shows between Thursday and Sunday before moving off for another week of performances in Maynooth It was the first full circus Gerbola show since the easing of restrictions that took them out of circulation for over two years Meath Chronicle is part of Celtic Media Group which includes: The Anglo Celt Westmeath Examiner and Westmeath Independent| © 2021 Meath Chronicle and Celtic Media Group Members of Duffys and Fossetts instantly offered their help to the popular Circus Gerbola to ensure a smooth return to the Big Top when the Celtic Voyage opens at Slane Castle in Co Covid-19 restrictions have left the Circus families with staff problems as many performers can't get visas to come from non-European countries Circus Gerbola was one of the recipients of the Live Performance Support Scheme and is holding a two-week circus and traditional funfair as well as an exhibition of old circus memorabilia in the grounds of Slane Castle when they discovered that some of their equipment had weathered in the open air in Covid-19 restrictions and was not fit for use in stepped David Duffy of Duffy's circus to help in lending his machinery Circus Gerbola wanted to come back with a bang with the best performers so David's skilled sons Tom and James will be the trapeze artists while Edward Fossett Jnr will travel back from his own circus' circuit to take centre stage as Otto the clown Tara Gerbola says that while there is always a friendly rivalry between the circus families they hold the utmost respect for each other unique businesses so of course we all know each other and have a mutual respect for each other," she said "Although we've all worked together in some shape or form in the past it took a pandemic to bring all three circus families together for the first time ever in the socially distanced Big Top "We all more or less know each other's schedules so as not to have two circuses in the same town at the same time.  We want to open with the best so we asked Edward Fossett Jnr "Fossetts have been able to open at times in the last 18 months but this will be the first time for us and Duffys to get back under the Big Top "I have nothing but butterflies in my stomach.  Usually I'm chasing my tail at this time as we are usually on 80 sites in a year "But at a time when we are usually winding down to take three months off we are ramping up for the first time in almost two years We got a grant which had stipulations so the circus had to be in Meath and we were lucky to secure the iconic Slane Castle concert site "That's pretty amazing and we are delighted with that.  We will also be staging an exhibition of old footage and posters from the circus seeing as we are now a recognised UNESCO culture and I have my grandparents on one poster from the 1920s "It's been a long road but we are finally back on it.  We have negotiations ongoing for performers but visas are a problem Visas are also proving a problem for David Duffy of Duffy's Circus who says many of his former crew can't get back into Ireland for the time being We've been trying to get our crew back but some have taken other jobs "We can't get visas for people from non-EU countries so we are limited in artists.  It's a smaller pool to access.  In addition circuses in the UK and Europe have already been up and running for the last six months so many performers have already secured jobs there "We didn't want to go back on the road and perform to small numbers it just wasn't feasible.  Our nerves are shot with thought of performing but I know that showmanship will kick in on the night "We are so looking forward to working with Tara and Edward Jnr.  It's another first for this generation to be working together "Duffy's circus will reopen in Mullingar Westmeath on October 19th - almost two years since we had to close after performing in that town "There's huge excitement here to getting back to work.  My two sons have been extremely frustrated.  All our equipment has been maintained but we will have to power wash the trucks it's ridiculous the amount of cobwebs on them it looks like there will be a lot of circus shows around Christmas" Circus Gerbola will open at Slane Castle between October 8 and 17 Circus Gerbola performed 5 excellent shows in Mitchelstown during the week Good attendances were reported and feedback was very positive Parents and young children accounted for the bulk of audiences Circus Gerbola have steered away from working with exotic animals preferring instead to focus on trapeze and balancing acts This slick circus experience was well presented with a heated big top and comfortable seating awaiting paying patrons Once inside there was the option of popcorn and soft drinks Coverage on this week’s print & Digital Edition A TALLAGHT teenager has been delighting audiences across the country in recent months as an aerialist with Circus Gerbola Danii Batkin (15) made the switch to gymnastics at seven years old Her teachers found that she had a talent for it and she has developed into a skilled gymnast told The Echo: “She did baby ballet here and there and did lyrical dancing and when she was winning a lot of things then I decided she had something special.” began training in the Elite Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Adamstown She trained under Olympic gymnast Kristina Rangelova while in the gymnastics club and finessed her skills as an aerialist “That was when she really started to excel,” explained Nicola she’s a horse-rider in Rathfarnham and competes on her own pony named Elvis.” The Kingswood Community College student stopped training in gymnastics when her coach returned to her native Bulgaria at the beginning of the pandemic Danii’s passion for the sport has never waned and by chance she ended up performing as part of Circus Gerbola as an aerialist in April 2021 She impressed Mikey and Tara Gerbola from Circus Gerbola and has performed in their circus ever since and it was during Covid that I ended up talking to a girl who owned Circus Gerbola,” said Nicola “Danii was invited to perform at the circus once as a treat but has been there ever since because she loves it so much so obviously during the weekends when she’s in school and “The Gerbolas have been incredibly supportive to her and let her come anytime she wants – she is now a regular on the show with her impressive aerial moves “She has been there two years now receiving amazing experience in the world of performance at such a young age “She hopes to keep learning and growing and is on her way to being one of Ireland’s greatest aerialists “She loves going and it is the highlight of her week She has made many good friends and loves all of the cast of the show who is a past pupil of St Mary’s NS in Tallaght is primarily performing outside of Dublin as part of the circus but is excited for when Circus Gerbola will come to Dublin next month then we as a family will keep supporting her like we always do.” For full access to all content on Echo.ie and to support the continuation of local news and local journalism in your community subscribe HERE CLONDALKIN Rugby Club senior men’s team had plenty to shout about when they claimed the Leinster League Division Two A title. 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