Cork Harbour Festival makes waves across Cork Harbour and the River Lee

Cork Harbour Festival began with the spectacular 28km rowing and paddling race, Ocean to City, on the June Bank Holiday Weekend. With over 550 international and national participants in a diverse array of rowing and paddling craft conquering the Rás Mór under a bright blue sky, the event was a huge success.

The sunny spell continues, and so does Cork Harbour Festival: Highlighting Cork’s greatest natural amenities, Cork Harbour and the River Lee, through a packed festival programme of over 80 events across 10 days from 2 – 11 June.

Festival Week continues with its popular Lunchtime Lecture Series, in collaboration with the UCC History Department and Crawford Art Gallery. Join us on 6th, 7th and 8th of June in the Lecture Theatre of Crawford Art Gallery, which fittingly used to be the former Custom House of Cork. Immerse yourself in Ireland’s fascinating maritime history and find out about the Emerald Isles of the Caribbean, the Passage Landing in 1922 and the Ninth Ship of the Irish Naval Diving Section.

This week’s warm weather sets the perfect scene for the wide variety of on-the-water activities on offer as part of Cork Harbour Festival. Join Cork City SUP this Friday 9 June for a stand-up paddle board tour of Cork City; Get a taste of Yacht Sailing in Cork Harbour with SailCork this Wednesday 7^th of June, or join the Kayak & SUP  River Clean up next Saturday 10 June at Cork’s Lee Fields. You can also still join the daily Cork City Kayaking Tours, set up by former kayaking champion Jim Kennedy and his family, and a true bucket list item for anyone living in or visiting Cork. 

Cork Harbour Festival brings together 50 different event providers each year, highlighting the incredible choice of maritime attractions and activities, heritage sites, cultural experiences and stories there are to discover in Cork City and Harbour.

Don’t miss the Comedic Dinner Theatre Experience from 6^th to 10^th of June, in Cork’s Amicus Restaurant. Learn about Cork City, its waterways and quirky characters as you enjoy two courses of local food and drink, served up with live traditional music and plenty of personality. You can even have your photo taken as a head on a spike! Or bring the family to Explore the Fountainstown Shore on Friday 9^th of June, and celebrate World Oceans Day by delving into the varied features and creatures of this coastal area.

On Sunday 11^th of June it is time to watch another spectacle on the River Lee, as over 200 hardy open water swimmers swim the 4km course from Cork City to Blackrock as part of the brilliant Rebel Plunge. Happening on the same day is Cllr Kieran McCarthy’s historical walking tour of the Docklands, as well as Ireland’s Funnest Family, a fun free family event organised by Let’s Play Cork along the Marina. Cork Harbour Festival draws to a close on Sunday evening, with Songs of the Sea by Cork Singers’ Club and a special maritime edition of the popular Ó Bhéal’s Poetry nights on Monday 12^th of June.

For a full programme of festival events see corkharbourfestival.com.

Cork Harbour Festival is organised by Meitheal Mara, the community boatyard, training centre and charity located in the heart of Cork City. The festival is funded by Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Failte Ireland, and made possible with the help of 50 Event Partners and many volunteers. Meitheal Mara would like to thank our Media Sponsors Cork’s 96FM and C103FM as well as our Gold Sponsor Ardmore Shipping and Silver Sponsor Simply Blue Group.