This weekend the arrival of the merry month of May and the promise of sun will be marked by the arrival of a 15 strong Morris dancing troupe from Bristol. The guests of the mummers foundation, the Bristol Morris will publicly display their Morris dancing and music on the Diamond in Enniskillen on both Friday and Saturday afternoons .

Later on, on Saturday night starting at 9.30 pm sharp at the Aughakillymaude Mummers Centre the Bristol Morris men who are on their first trip to Fermanagh will mix it with the area's traditional musicians to provide another night to remember at the idyllic loughshore setting of Knockninny.

For Antony Gay, the leader of the Bristol Morris formed in 1951 , the month of May is the start of another summer season which will see them performing at folk festivals and a s far away as Sardinia. He believes that all peoples love to watch the Morris dancing as it is colourful and jolly and, of course, because the dancing has everything to do with the encouragement of the growth of crops with the advent of the sun.

With the morris men comes the dreaded horse , the man-animal representing chaos and fertility and it, no doubt will cause mayhem wherever it goes.

Aside from the public displays the morris men will entertain local school children in St Ninnidh's Primary School and are being kindly received by the council at a reception at the townhall on Friday before being let loose on to the Diamond.

According to Jim Ledwith, the weekend programme which is part of the Mummers Foundation's shared heritage programme funded by Peace II monies through the Rural Development Council it is the seventh in a long line of Anglo/Irish cultural exchanges between West Fermanagh and their English aficionados stretching back to 1993. He said " really, it's yet another good excuse for adults from both sides of the Irish sea who obviously haven't grown up yet to have fun and toast each others good health. Certainly, the morris dancing will give colour and added meaning to the arrival of May."