ABOUT 40 boats set sail from Crookhaven to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Fastnet Lighthouse in the first Fastnet Boat Parade last weekend.
Event Organiser Mark O’Reilly of Wet and Wild Tours harnessed local enthusiasm to raise money for the Last (Lost at Sea Tragedies) charity, which benefits the widows and surviving children of fishermen who are lost at sea.
County mayor Cllr Joe Carroll, TD Michael Collins, and Cllr Caroline Cronin participated in the boat parade and officiated the ceremony that kicked off the event.
Helping Mark organise the event were his parents Eoghan and Maura O’Reilly and his siblings Michael and Carla.
Eoghan said he wanted to do something to commemorate the Fastnet’s anniversary after reading the July 8th Southern Star article, in which TD Michael Collins expressed disappointment that maritime safety service Irish Lights would mark the Fastnet’s anniversary in Dublin, not West Cork.
However, it was Eoghan’s son Mark who developed the idea of a boat parade, co-ordinated sponsors, invited officials, and secured live musical entertainment provided by local musicians Frank Scannell, Owen Hegarty and Sam Kramer.
The boat parade was so successful that Mark plans to make it even larger next year and make the Fastnet Boat Parade the event of the season for nautical enthusiasts, not just in West Cork, but across all Ireland.
Local businesses sponsoring the event included O’Sullivan’s Bar, O’ Meara’s Bar, The Lobster Pot bar, the Crookhaven Inn, Barleycove Hotel, Mizen Head visitor centre, Crookhaven Art Studio, Claire Barrett, Dermot Sheehan the Goleen Grocer, O’Reilly Couriers, West Cork Boilers, and CH Marine of Skibbereen.
The Fastnet Lighthouse began operations in 1904 and has been keeping ships and sailors safe since.
