Afloat's Lorna Siggins will interview kayaker Jim Kennedy of Atlantic Sea Kayaking as part of an online celebration of Cork Harbour starting tomorrow.
Although the physical Cork Harbour Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19, organisers Meitheal Mara are featuring an online celebration of Cork Harbour and Ireland’s maritime culture, which is now in full swing and continues until Monday 8th of June 2020.
Festivities began on the 15th of May, the original start date of the festival, and include live Facebook & Zoom events, videos, tutorials, craft projects, an Ocean to City Virtual Challenge and much more. The full programme of this year’s online celebration, as well as recordings from past events, are online at corkharbourfestival.com. The next seven days will see the following events:
Jim Kennedy at the Fastnet Rock. Photo: Valerie Sullivan
Interview with Jim Kennedy of Atlantic Sea Kayaking
Tuesday 2 June, 20:00 - Interview with Jim Kennedy of Atlantic Sea Kayaking, by Lorna Siggins, print & radio reporter and former Irish Times marine correspondent.
Jim Kennedy is passionate about all things Irish, especially coastal and marine wildlife, stories, music, adventure tourism and of course kayaking. He has raced on the Irish National Kayaking team at two sprint and two marathon world championships, won an Irish rowing Championship with Lee Rowing Club and is a level 5 Irish Canoe Union sea kayak instructor/coach. Drawing on his wealth of experience, Lorna will ask Jim about his tips on how to prepare for a race like Ocean to City; what his training programme for the world’s toughest survival and endurance race, the Yukon 1000, looks like; and what places we should definitely put on the bucket list for when this lockdown is over.
Ocean to City Virtual Challenge
Saturday 6 June, 11:00 - Ocean to City Virtual Challenge
We are delighted to bring you “The Ocean to City Virtual Challenge” a fun, energetic and creative way to celebrate the rowing and paddling community that was built up over the past 16 years. With safety foremost you are invited to pick a challenge that matches your ability. The event has two categories to choose from, the Rowing Machine Challenge - where participants see how far they can row in a specified time, and a Fun Challenge - where participants are asked to show their most creative rowing or paddling training on land. For more information, see www.oceantocity.com. Deadline for registration is Thursday 4 June.
The Alliance of Pirates, Ireland and Atlantic Piracy
Monday 8 June, 13:10 - Lunchtime Lecture with UCC School of History & Dr Connie Kelleher, ‘The Alliance of Pirates, Ireland and Atlantic Piracy’. Curated by Dr John Borgonovo.
In the early part of the seventeenth-century, along the southwest coast of Ireland, piracy was a way of life. Dr Connie Kelleher will explore who these pirates were, their main theatre of operations and the characters that aided and abetted them. Archaeological evidence uniquely supports the investigation and provides a tangible cultural link through time to the pirates, their cohorts and their bases. Dr Connie Kelleher works with the National Monuments Service’s Underwater Archaeology Unit in the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and is visiting lecturer the Department of Archaeology in University College Cork, delivering the course on the Introduction to Underwater Archaeology. Curated by Dr John Borgonovo.
Poet Mick Delap celebrates the magnificence of the Atlantic coast
Sailor-poet Mick Delap celebrates the magnificence of the Atlantic coast
Monday 8 June, 20:30 - Ó Bhéal Poetry Event
Featured poets for Ó Bhéal’s third virtual event, part of Cork Harbour Festival, are Mick Delap and Alice Lyons. The evening will also include a five-word challenge and open-mic session. Sailor-poet Mick Delap celebrates the magnificence of the Atlantic coast, and chronicles different aspects of its history. In 2002 he won Best First Collection at Listowel for River Turning Tidal.
To join a live event one can either watch the live stream on the festival Facebook page facebook.com/corkharbourfestival/ or one can register for a Zoom invite at corkharbourfestival.com. All events are free to join.
