Gardai issue timely advice as festival seasons gets underway in Laois

Gardai have issued some timely advice as the summer festival season gets into full swing in Laois.

The county will play host to tens of thousands of revellers in the coming weeks. 

This weekend The Folly Festival takes place in Cullohill on Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8. It will be closely followed by Forest Fest 2023 in Emo Village over three days on the weekend of July 21 to 23.   

Just over a month later tens of thousands of festival goers will descend on Stradbally for the Electric Picnic from September 1 to 3 and it is followed by the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska from September 19 to 21. Aside from these major events, the county will also host a diverse range of other festivals, shows and outdoor events. 

“Festivals well and truly started so mind those phones when attending,” Laois Offaly Gardai said on social media. 

Laois Offaly Garda Crime Prevention Officer Graham Kavanagh posted a number of helpful videos on Twitter to show people how to set up emergency contacts on their phones. 

Reminder that a few minutes setting up your emergency contacts and find your phone can help us help you with your phone if handed into An Garda Síochána.

4 videos each open with same introduction but explain settings for Android and IPhones pic.twitter.com/IieC44hKVg

— Graham Kavanagh (@KavanaghCPO) April 30, 2023

The advice in the videos is designed to help gardai reunite people with their lost or stolen phones.