The 2013 week-long Ocean to City Maritime festival aims to be bigger and more spectacular than ever with special emphasis on traditional boats and boat building from Celtic countries in the UK and Europe. The opening event on the June Bank Holiday weekend will be the third Cork Harbour Summer School which will explore boat-building and maritime links with Celtic countries through the lens of Cork Harbour.
Some of the other events during the week will include the Cork Harbour inter-firm Dragonboat Challenge; a Celtic-themed maritime film night at the Triskel Arts Centre; kayak 'Corkumnavigation' of River Lee and harbour trips; 'come and try' Currach rowing sessions; Naval Service tours; Cork Harbour angling trips; Councillor McCarthy's children's Make a Model Boat competition; Cork Harbour angling trips and Cork Harbour Coastal Cycle.
The grand finale at the end of the week will be the 9th Ocean to City 'An Rás Mór' traditional rowing race on Saturday 8th June. There are four distances: Ocean (15 nautical miles); City (12 nautical miles); Monkstown (7 nautical miles) or Blackrock Youth race (2.5 nautical miles).
Race day will have children's workshops and entertainment, face painting, music and drummers at Blackrock Castle Observatory and Cork harbour as well as a food and craft market at the Finish Line at Lapps Quay, Cork City.
