Kate Bush fans enjoy The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever

Dublin marks global event as men, women and children don red dresses and brunette wigs

Getting into the spirit for The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever at St Anne’s Park, Dublin. Photograph: Debbie Hickey/Twitter
Getting into the spirit for The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever at St Anne’s Park, Dublin. Photograph: Debbie Hickey/Twitter

Over 200 Kate Bush fans gathered for a group performance of the Wuthering Heights dance routine in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.

St Anne’s Park in Raheny celebrated The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever which saw men, women and children don red dresses and brunette wigs for the event.

Hundreds more gathered to watch the performance, with onlookers urged to join in for an encore of the 1978 hit.

Organisers Sinead Keane (31), from Westport, Co Mayo and Joey Kavanagh (31), from Ashbourne, Co Meath said they decided to put on the event having taken part in a similar performance in Brixton last year.

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Lambeth Country Fair

“Sinead and I were at a friend’s birthday last year and we attended the one in Lambeth Country Fair, we just happened upon it, and we had such a great day,” Mr Kavanagh said.

An incredibly convincing bunch of Kate Bush impersonators on the loose in St Anne’s Park in Dublin.  Photograph: Sinead Keane
An incredibly convincing bunch of Kate Bush impersonators on the loose in St Anne’s Park in Dublin. Photograph: Sinead Keane

"We made a promise on that day that we would bring it to Dublin next year. We just basically put up a Facebook page and it really just took off."

The pair, who both work in marketing, said they received permission from Dublin City Council, who also allowed them borrow a speaker for the day.

“I think what captures people’s imagination the most is it’s just ‘come as you are’, it doesn’t cost you any money, no one’s putting you under any pressure to do things properly,” Ms Keane said.

Kate Bush fans pose at Edinburgh Gardens on July 15th, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is when people all around the world come together to recreate Kate Bush’s 1978 Wuthering Heights music video, inspired by Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel. Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Kate Bush fans pose at Edinburgh Gardens on July 15th, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is when people all around the world come together to recreate Kate Bush’s 1978 Wuthering Heights music video, inspired by Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel. Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Joyful and fun

“We just want people to have a good time, I think there’s so much bad news out there at the moment that it’s really nice to come and celebrate something just joyful and fun. We had someone travel from Bangor to take part today and they knitted their own roses for their hair, it’s so amazing.”

The original inspiration for the event began in 2013 when Shambush! produced The Ultimate Kate Bush Experience as part of Brighton Fringe. Since then, similar events have taken place across the UK, Germany and Australia.

Joey Kavanagh gets ready for the Dublin edition of The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever. Photograph: Joey Kavanagh/Twitter
Joey Kavanagh gets ready for the Dublin edition of The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever. Photograph: Joey Kavanagh/Twitter

Niamh Doolan (33) and her aunt Bernie Nyhan (58), from Drumcondra, were among those who turned up to dance.

“Wuthering Heights was probably the most famous song growing up in my household,” Ms Doolan said.

The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever participants limber up at St Anne’s Park in Raheny, Dublin, July 15th, 2017. Photograph: Sinead Keane
The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever participants limber up at St Anne’s Park in Raheny, Dublin, July 15th, 2017. Photograph: Sinead Keane

High kicks

"One of my best memories of it is myself and my brother in the middle of Tesco in Finglas wheeling a trolley down the aisle whilst doing the high kicks, dancing away to it. Sadly he didn't come out today and dress up, he couldn't find a red dress. He said he wasn't going to do it unless he could do it right."

Ms Nyhan added: “When she said she was coming, I said absolutely, any excuse to dress up. We had intended coming in white doing the original, but they said “No, everybody has to come in red”.”

Ronnie Morgan (40), from Santry said: “I really like Kate Bush and I saw it on the internet that they were going to do this performance that goes on all over the world. I decided I had to be a part of it.”

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns is a reporter for The Irish Times