The festival presents a number of “Best Ginger Awards”, including “The most freckles per square inch”, “Best Wannabe Redhead”, and “The world’s greatest ginger beard”. And a good portion of those people descended on Ireland this weekend for the annual Redhead Convention.
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But it wasn’t only Irish Redheads celebrating the ginger gene at Crosshaven.
Among a host of other activities, festival-goers partook in the “ginger jig” to set a world record for the largest redhead traditional ceili dance.
Fire fighters Willie Birmingham and David Connelly were crowned the winners at the 7th Irish Redhead Convention which took place in the lovely seaside village of Crosshaven in Co.
Ireland has the second highest proportion of red heads in the world, at 10 per cent of the total population compared to less than two per cent of the USA population who have red hair.
Over the years the Irish Redhead Convention has raised more than £25,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.
The land of Gingerdom is a place, and Andy O’Neill from Kilkenny and Emma Ni Chearuil from Galway have been crowned its newest King and Queen.
Festival organisers welcomed hundreds from around the world, including Debbie Murphy from Atlanta in the United States who won Best Redhead Granny, Jean Remley of California who won the Longest Red Hair Award and Thomas Gronemeir from Frankfurt who won the Best Ex-Redhead Award.
Willem Kuun from Canada waits for the judging to take place.
The festival of ginger-loving madness is held Co.
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Only Scotland is thought to boast a higher ratio at 13 per cent.
