AN idle chat on the pier in Glandore last year led to a brilliant fundraising event that grew to become the Glandore Harbour Boat Festival, complete with a parade of power in Glandore Harbour in August.

Ian Delahunty, who has lived in Glandore for the last nine years, said he was chatting with Liam Hurley and Mary O’Sullivan when they came up with the great idea to hold a poker boat run.

‘A poker boat run is an American concept, but there’s no poker involved. It is instead a bit of orienteering on the water, so it’s great fun,’ according to Ian.

That event in 2025 raised €2,800 for Marymount Hospice. This year, they decided to do something a little bit different and built a festival around the boat run.

‘We mentioned it around and we were amazed with the number of people who approached us with ideas and the offer of help,’ said Ian.

Conn Harte Bourke and his crew won the best fancy dress competition, sponsored by The Lagoon, after dressing as Ryanair crew on the water.

‘We organised a tasting night, a table quiz with a bit of a difference, as well as a five and an eight km run on the Sunday morning, from Glandore to Union Hall and back.

‘We did a garden party, here in Glandore, and we did music on the street so we had that street festival feel in the evening time,’ said Ian. ‘There was even fancy dress.’

But the highlight of the weekend was the poker boat run on the Saturday. It ran from Glandore over to Castletownshend and back. On the way back, Ian said they all met outside at Adam Island and the RNLI led them in in a parade of power.

‘We had 33 boats in the water for it. It really was something to see. I certainly have never seen anything like it before,’ said Ian. ‘It really got the whole community out and talking.

‘People couldn’t get over the spectacle it was. Even the sound of the boats coming into the harbour meant there was a nice growl from it. It was something special.’

The success of the weekend of festivities resulted in €10,500 being raised for charity. The RNLI and Cork Cancer Connect were two of the main beneficiaries – two vital services to the community in West Cork.

Ian said they also gave two smaller donations to Kilmacabea GAA, the members of which were a big help for the weekend, and to the playschool in Union Hall.

‘We set out to do something a bit different and the real measure of its success is that the whole community got involved. We had lots of support and help.’

Because of the success of the weekend, Ian said they believe they will have even more volunteers when it comes to organising the 2027 event.

‘We want to incorporate land and sea, so next year we will expand out, over the four days of the festival, with more things to do on the land and on the water.’