COURTMACSHERRY Festival is marking its 50th year as it celebrates its reputation for community spirit.

Living up to its slogan as ‘The Friendliest Festival in West Cork’ locals and visitors are set to transform the scenic coastal village with a ten-day schedule of events for all ages from July 25th.

The calendar highlight has evolved and kept pace with technology, and this year organisers have developed their own app to mark this significant milestone. It lists no less than 54 family-friendly events coupled with music, guided walks, exhibitions and even crab fishing for children.

The app was developed by festival director Anat O’Donovan who believes it may well be a first for an event of this kind. ‘I’d been working on it for the past few months but was keeping it under wraps until I was sure it was perfect,’ said Anat. ‘We will be able to post live updates on it if bad weather affects any outdoor event. People can also select their favourite events.’

A newspaper clipping is from The Southern Star in 1981 lauding the talent on show at the festival which has been acclaimed as a calendar highlight for the West Cork village and wider catchment area.

For those who prefer a hard copy, festival brochures are also available throughout the village.

The Courtmacsherry staple’s success is thanks to an army of enthusiastic volunteers and the hard-working committee who have been planning and prepping since the start of the year. The village also sees its population treble during the summer months so there is a captive audience for a family festival, which organiser say is the key to it longevity.

Courtmacsherry Development Association chairman Mike Hanley, who has been involved for 17 years, said: ‘We have about 20 active members. There would be a lot of people who wouldn’t be active members of the festival but are top class helpers and get involved in all aspects of the festival. They can be called upon at a drop off a hat.’

Having started in 1977, it’s only fitting that a 50th anniversary exhibition will take place in the community hall on the first weekend of the festival.

‘It will display pictures from previous festivals down through the years,’ explained Anat, ‘but also what the festival has done for this community, not just in terms of spirit but also funds that have come in from sponsorship and events which are ploughed back into the community.

‘We will have a little video at the exhibition of local people telling their stories. The official opening will also feature two local lads, Conrad Murphy and Riley O’Donovan, who were on the Minor Cork team who recently won the All-Ireland Minor football final with the two cups.’

Festival highlights include the regatta day (August 1st), and family superstars, which will see local families pitted against each other in a number of sporting challenges.

Both Vincent O’Donovan and Micheál Hurley are stalwarts of the event having got involved in the very first festival in 1977.

‘Regatta Day was always there and the community centre was done up in 1975,’ said Vincent. ‘We had to raise money so we decided to promote the place really. I was originally the treasurer and Michael was the PRO. We were all very young, I was about 20. Back then we used to go out and collect money from the various villages including Bandon and Clonakilty.’

He noted that the festival has made most of the money for the Courtmacsherry Development Association over the past 30 years.

‘That money has then gone into capital projects such as the dredging of the harbour, the installation of picnic tables and much more.’

Micheál recalled that in the early days they looked to other successful events in West Cork for inspiration.

RTE’s Joe Duffy at the festival in 2004, kissing the foot of Bandon’s Clare O’Leary before stating it would be the closest he will ever get to climbing Mount Everest.
(Photo: Martin Walsh)

‘The pub talent competition had been very successful in Clonakilty so we decided to host our own. Our first chairman, Billy Gerry Murphy, and myself went around and asked the pubs and I think we did the whole thing in 11 pubs in one evening.’

Micheál is also known as the ‘sound man’ as he has been providing the amplification for many years, taking over from Anthony Coughlan, following his death.

The first person who opened the festival back in 1977 was Cork All-Ireland winner Denis Coughlan, who sadly passed away recently, while the first person to get a Hall of Fame Recognition was bowler PJ McCarthy. A Recognition Award now honours local success.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who has close links to the village, opened the festival in 1992 while serving as Lord Mayor of Cork city, and is a regular at the event.

The then Minister for Health & Children, Micheál Martin, participated in the Heath and Fitness Day at the Courtmacsherry Harbour Festival in 2023. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

The simplicity of Courtmacsherry Harbour Festival is that it’s a friendly festival that contains something for all the family and is the perfect formula to ensure it will continue for another 50 years or more.

The festival will be officially opened on Saturday July 25th by Ireland rugby ace Jack Crowley from Innishannon. See ‘Courtmacsherry Harbour Festival’ on Facebook for more details and search for the mobile app on Google.