Coachford Family Festival 2018

The dates for the 2018 Festival have been announced and it’s going to be another 6 day extravaganza.

Monday July 9th to Sunday 15th.

Put it in your diaries. It’s going to be great

 

Wife Carrying

Let’s face it there are not many perks to being a wife these days. having to put up the fella that you thought was Gods gift to women and has now turned out to be Satan’s half twin, the guy who promised you that he’d probably give up the drink after the honeymoon is now one of Ireland’s leading experts on drinking at home, in the pub and out of a shoe.Being a wife is tough but for one day this year instead of you carrying him he can now carry you in the fabulous and funny ‘Wife Carrying’ competition at this year’s Coachford Family Festival. And if he is completely useless or unfit then you get can someone else to carry you just as long as you are a wife. it’s the Festival’s way of saying thank you for being a wife and sorry for your troubles! Wife Carrying, Sunday July 16th.

Coachford Family Festival 2017

The Coachford Family Festival is just around the corner and promises to be the best one ever. The Committee have expanded the event to six days  starting on Tuesday July 11^th  and running until Sunday July 16^th. The festival will  kick off with a night of Bingo in O’Riordan’s Bar . This is a great opportunity for those who may not be regular to come and try the very popular game in a great atmosphere.

Wednesday the 12^th brings Road Bowling back to the locality and a massive Senior and Junior ‘Score’ will take place.

The fourth Annual Road Race will see runners and walkers competed on Thursday July 13^th . The race will start and finish in the village and a large crowd is expected to take part.

Children will be dressing up for the first ever Fancy Dress parade which will be followed by an open air Disco for children on Friday July 14th.

On Saturday The High Nellies will be dusted off and oiled up for the annual run from Coachford to Dripsey via Peake. Later in the evening , Man’s best friend will be paraded in all their glory as the annual Dog Show takes place at the GAA Grounds.

One of the highlights  of this year’s festival will be the Lip Sync Competition on Saturday night run in conjunction with the GAA. Acts will take to the stage where they will imitate their favourite bands or pop stars. It promises to be a great nights entertainment for all the family.

On Sunday July 16^th the committee have put together one of the busiest, full filled shows that could be possible. Starting form noon, the day unfolds to bring you tractor building, Children’s sports, Model Toy Show, Wife Carrying competition, Coachford’s Fittest Family, Egg Tossing, Bubble Soccer, huge vintage rally, Farmers Market, tribute to Ford Ireland on their 100^th Anniversary, Ireland’s highest mobile Climbing Wall, loads of trade stands, children’s fun fair and so much more.

The Family Festival raises money for charity by providing  fun for the community. We urge you to come along to as many of the events as possible and to enjoy yourselves,

 

Well done to 2016 Festival as proceeds climb to €13,250

Thank You,
Coachford Autumn Festival will donate over €13,000 to charity as a result of the great support and kindness of so many people. The festival organisers, Broomhill Vintage Club will present cheques to Marymount Hospice (€6,000), Friends of Macroom Community

Hospital (€1,500), Sullane Haven Macroom (€1,000), Pieta House (€1,000), Coachford Christmas lights (€1,000), Coachford National School Parent’s Association (€750), Aghabullogue National School Parent’s Association (€750), Rylane National School Parent’s Association (€750) and Coachford Tidy Towns (€500). Club Chairman, Jerh O’Sullivan said ” we are absolutely delighted to be in a position to donate this amount of money to all these very deserving charities and community groups.We had a very wet year and although it was a huge struggle to run the events over the four days, the support we had from all our sponsors and the supporters was amazing and humbling. Huge numbers of people came on a very wet Sunday and while they may not have stayed long they still came along and supported us and that was very much appreciated.The Queen contestants were amazing and made that event a tremendous night and a very profitable one.Our Female tractor builders were a great addition to the festival and added a new and exciting element to the whole Community weekend. All the support and help that we have received from everyone has enabled us to donate the biggest amount we have ever done in our 7 year history and we are already looking forward to the 2017 Festival. We are looking at moving the festival date for next year due to the World Youth Fishing Championships and the ever growing Beal na Blath commemoration events. In the meantime we hope to present the cheques from this years festival to the charities in O Riordan’s Bar on Saturday November 5th. You are all invited to come along and celebrate with us.”

 

A great 2016 Festival

Thank you to everyone who helped with this year’s festival. Outside of the awful weather on Sunday it was another huge success. Highlights had to be the 15 fantastic girls that raised all the money for Marymount by agreeing to take part in the Queen of the Festival, the wonderful talent on show on the Thursday night at the Rising Stars show, the excellent presentation to our super World Champions; Olive and Emma and the great fun of the tractor Building teams’
Thursday’s show was great and congratulations to all those who took part. The Twins from Meelin stole our hearts while ‘Good Vibes Only’ stole the show and there is no doubt that we’ll hear more from them. Thanks to our two judges, ticket sellers and of course the MC for the night Jeremiah O’Sullivan.
Numbers for the Race were down on last year but the weather played a part in that (we hope). It was fantastic that two of the top three women were locals with Karina Murphy coming in second and Sinead Buckley third. Well done also to Decky Murphy who finished fourth again this year (and third in the wife carrying!! but that’s another story.) and we have to mention the fantastic run by Brendán O’Sullivan who is under 12 but finished 22nd overall on a time of 33:44.. A huge thanks to all who helped out with the mammoth task of putting a race on a busy road on a Friday evening. Thanks to all the stewards, Registrars, caterers, cheer onners, (yes that is a word 🙂,) Gardai, Medical people, water station girls, Ciara Murphy, Olive Loughnane and of course the walkers and runners. In conjunction with the ACR Community Council presentations were made to our fabulous World Champions Emma Flanagan and Olive Loughnane after the race. We would like to thank Christy Lucey for the loan of the stage (truck), The Camogie Club for catering, The Deputy Mayor of Cork County, Minister Creed and all the other politicians for attending. We would also like to thank the officials from Taekwondo Ireland and the Athletics Association of Ireland and our own West Muskerry Athletics who really made this occasion very special. We would like to pay special thanks to Maighread Ní Mhurchú, her husband Cormac and O’Donovan Engineering for their very welcome and immense involvement in this presentation.
Almost 40 cyclists turned up on Saturday to take part in the High Nelly Run and they enjoyed two hours of no rain as they travelled to Peake and Dripsey and back to the village. We thank The Weigh Inn Bar Dripsey for looking after the brave souls so well and making sure they got fed. Thanks to all the Dog lovers who put their Pooches on Parade in inclement weather. Once again O’Callaghan’s Bar pulled out all the stops by providing a champagne and strawberry reception for the 15 Queen contestants and their families. We would like to also thank the sponsors of each of the Queens and all those who provided transport to carry them and the MC to the Hall. Saturday night was a joint venture between the GAA (who took the proceeds of the door) and the Festival Committee. Thanks to Tigh Ui Laoire , Bealnamorrive who provided the bar. We’d like to thank; the judges who provided their services free of charge, all of you who purchased raffle tickets ( you raised €900) and to all of you who voted (€1,590) for your favourite Queen. The 15 beautiful girls were outstanding and entertained us all so much. They were so willing to get on stage to do their very best and to make sure that they contributed in raising funds for Marymount and all the other charities. Their performances, personalities and kindness will live long in our memories. Thank You.
Sunday brought us rain but also many supporters who still came and, entered their car or tractor, bought raffle tickets, viewed the vintage show,took part in some activities and enjoyed the Tractor Building, Model Toy show,wife carrying, slow bicycle race and children sports.We thank you all, especially those who came with trade stands and exhibits and a special word of thanks to Enchanted Flowers Macroom and Outdoor Discovery Adventure Company. The rain was certainly a huge disappointment to all who worked hard in planning for this year’s event but we have had some good years too so we can’t complain too much. We continued to be surprised, thrilled and humbled by people’s generosity towards this festival. Every year businesses from all over the area back us, loads of people volunteered their time and expertise to give us a hand over the weekend. Many of them have no connection to the festival; in fact some have no connection to Coachford but still come on board to help us out. Looking ahead to 2017 we need more volunteers to come on the organising committee as some of the existing group have indicated they wish to step back for a while.
Can we finally say a massive thank you to all of you who helped in any way in making the 7th Coachford Autumn Festival another successful one. If you; bought a raffle ticket, hung up a poster, cycled a bike, bought a balloon, entered a dog, bought a pint, a bag of chips or a bag a sweets, sold tickets, manned a stall, sponsored us, supported us, became a queen contestant, sang, played music, danced, built a tractor, tossed an egg, brought your bonny baby along, set up a model toy display, arrived in your classic car or vintage tractor , displayed your pets, carried your wife, ran or walked five miles, encouraged your children in the races, manned a gate, registered a runner, handed out a cup of tea, coffee or a sandwich, judged a competition, helped backstage, brushed a floor, hung a light, moved a chair, encouraged your friends to support us, waited patiently at a race road block, shifted a cone, cleaned up or did anything else that we have unintentionally missed. We thank you most sincerely

We also like to thank Dairygold, The GAA and Padraig & Cormac O Donoghue for putting their lands and property at our disposal over the weekend.

Fit Men and Brave Women wanted.

What started as a bizarre practice in Finland where neighbouring villagers would raid and steal other men’s wives and carry them off for themselves has developed into a sport full of fun.  ‘Wife Carrying’ is  enjoyed in Scandinavia and other European countries and is now a part of this year’s Coachford Autumn Festival on Sunday August 21^st.    The Festival organisers are looking for fit men and brave women to take part in the race over a very short course. This should be great fun and is already creating a great buzz in the community with men of all shapes and sizes matching up with their wives, their neighbour’s wives and girls that they hope might become their wives for intensive pre festival training.   “The man must do the carrying and ‘the wife’ must be carried. It doesn’t have to be your own wife you carry and you can carry her anyway you want as long as you only use yourself to carry her and not any other apparatus “ explains organiser and course designer, Olaf Aminut. “The wife must weigh a minimum of 100 lbs (45 kg). Wives that are too light will have to have an extra helping of Swedish meatballs or carry weights to meet the minimum requirement. Dropping your wife or falling will incur a 10 second penalty in the contest, and perhaps additional penalties from your ‘wife” after the race. Protests must be made within 5 minutes of the end of the contest. There will be a protest fee, and administration fee… as well as an inconvenience fee. All contestants must wear pants and a smile, and wives must wear a helmet. Other articles of clothing may be substituted for pants, but smiling and having fun are non-negotiable. And last but not least, Inflatable wives will be disqualified”. All contestants must be over 17 years of age and the ‘wives’ must wear a helmet. ‘We are a little concerned that there are some husbands out there very willing to let their wives be carried away by other men for this competition and some have been heard to say “don’t be in any rush to bring her back’ and looking at the husbands it might be some time indeed before the wives may feel any urge to return either” said Festival President, Danny O’Riordan.

Jack’s Back in Coachford

Coachford renews its connection with Taoiseach Jack Lynch at this year’s Autumn Festival. The mid Cork Village was the scene of a huge Fianna Fail Rally in the run up to the 1977 General Election and provided the ‘Real’ Taoiseach with one of the best turnouts of the famous campaign and gave Jack a massive vote of confidence as his party romped home to an overall majority. Now 39 years later the village will once again turn out to pay homage to Cork’s most famous son as they welcome the Taoiseach’s Mark II Cortina as part of the 50th birthday celebrations of this remarkable car. The Cortina, in pristine condition is being brought to the 7th Annual Coachford Autumn Festival’s Vintage & Classic Car and Tractor show by the West Cork Vintage Club who are now the proud owners and caretakers of this iconic vehicle. The White Cortina will be just one of the many beautiful and well looked after cars and tractors on display on Sunday August 21st. The Festival organisers, Broomhill Vintage Club, are also celebrating the 70th and 50th anniversaries of the introduction to Ireland of the Zetor and John Deere tractors. The Coachford Vintage Show is now one of the biggest in the county and is fast becoming one of the most exciting shows to be at. There is a huge amount of space available to the exhibitors and facilities at the expansive GAA grounds in Coachford are second to none. “We are all very excited about this year’s show and festival. We are expecting a wonderful variety of vehicles this year and everyone is looking forward to seeing Jack Lynch’s car, I’m old enough to remember the fantastic occasion when the Taoiseach visited the village in 1977 and crowds of all political persuasion turned out to witness one of the great Leaders of our time at the height of his popularity. We’re hoping similar numbers turn up for our festival on Sunday August 21st to not only to see Jack’s car but the many other wonderful things that we have on offer throughout the packed day., said Festival Secretary, Peter Dineen. Proceeds of the Coachford Autumn Festival will be donated to Marymount Hospice and local Charities.

Tricolours Ready

The Community Council wish to honour the fantastic achievement of Coachford based athlete, Olive Loughnane in finally  receiving her Gold medal for winning the 2009 20Km World  Race Walking Championship. The Council will make a presentation to Olive in the company of  the Deputy County Mayor, Mr.Kevin Conway, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Michael Creed, T.D., other athletes, supporters, neighbours and friends at the GAA grounds in Coachford on Friday August 19^th after the Coachford Five Mile Road Race. The council would like to invite people along to the event to share in Olive’s amazing achievement and to see the Gold (and silver) medal first hand. People are encouraged to bring along tricolours and businesses are asked to display our national flag for the weekend to show your appreciation of this momentous effort by Olive and for her bravery in securing this long overdue world title.

 

August 9th 2016

Festival Fever is here once more

The organisers of the Coachford Autumn Festival are putting together the final preparations for this year’s four day event (Aug 18-21). This is a community festival whose sole purpose is to have ‘Something for Everyone’ .It caters for Children, Young People, Parents and Grandparents. It is about bringing people together, to have a bit of fun, to enjoy a local community based event and have something in the area that people can get involved in enjoy and be proud of. It was never meant to make money, but of course to cover its costs, However due to the very kind and generous backing of the festival’s sponsors and to the huge support that hundreds of visitors have given the various events over the last 6 years, Broomhill Vintage Club and Coachford Autumn Festival has raised over €50,000 for various charities including, Suicide Aware, Marymount Hospice, Macroom Community Hospital, Sullane Haven Macroom, St. Vincent de Paul, Care of the Aged, Coachford Tidy Towns and Aghabullogue, Coachford & Rylane National Schools, This year the organisers have decided to make Marymount Hospice the main beneficiary of the Festival.. This year’s Festival will have lots of familiar events like the Monster Vintage Show, Egg Tossing, Bonny Baby competition, Model Toy display, Cross Bar Challenge, Farmers Market, Trade Stands and Children’s Sports. Festival favourites like the High Nelly Bicycle Run, The Five Mile Road Race and the Fittest Family return again. “ last year was our best festival ever”, said Jeremiah O’Sullivan, chairman, “ The Bubble Soccer was great fun as was the Fittest Family competition so we are delighted to see them back again this year. We are all very excited to have three local teams involved in the Tractor Building this year, and especially delighted to have two female teams. We are also introducing ‘Wife Carrying’ to the festival this year just for the craic and we are looking for fit men and brave women to take part in it.. The very welcome return of the Queen of the Festival will see 15 contestants take part in this competition and it should be a great nights entertainment” The Festival begins on Thursday August 18^th when the ‘Rising Stars’ Talent competition takes place in Coachford GAA Hall at 8pm.Registration for the Five Mile Road Race begins at 5.30pm and the race begins at 7pm sharp on Friday night. The Dog Show, High Nelly run and Queens contest are on Saturday and the Vintage Show and Festival Family and Community Day runs from 12noon to 6pm on Sunday August 21^st.

 

 

21st July 2016

Small Wives needed 

If you are a married woman, small in stature but with a big heart and who wouldn’t mind climbing onto your husband’s or even someone’s else’s husband back, then you are needed in Coachford on August 21^st to take part in the ‘Wife Carrying’ contest.. This is the first ever time that such an event is being held at the ever popular Festival and it promises to be one of the highlights of the Sunday’s activities. Wife Carrying is very popular in the Nordic countries and while there has been competitions in various parts of Ireland this is the first time it has been officially tried in Coachford. Apparently there are a variety of ways that the wife can be carried along the race track and it is entirely up to the pair how they go about it.. “ I think it could be great fun as most of the lads around here have trouble carrying themselves  not to mind a wife on their backs. Already you can see some of the lads in the pub eyeing up the women and trying to figure out what they weigh and if they would agree to be their package on Sunday August 21st. It would remind you of Macroom Mart on a Saturday” said local publican, Pat O’ Riordan. All the proceeds of this year’s Festival will go to Marymount Hospice and local Charities.

 Wife Carrying Rules

1. The team completing the course in the fastest time wins  the Grand Prize.
2. Teams will consist of two members, one “Wife” and one “Husband”. For the purpose of this contest, the Wife shall be the contestant being carried, and the Husband will be the contestant doing the carrying, regardless of the actual marital status or gender.
3. Partners in the contest do not have to be married – as stated in the Wife Carrying Contest Official Rules -“a contestant may carry his own wife, his neighbour’s wife, or someone found ‘further afield’”.
4. Both the contestants must be 18 years or older
5. The wife must weigh a minimum of 100 lbs (45 kg). Wives that are too light will have to have an extra helping of Swedish meatballs or carry weights to meet the minimum requirement. In the case that an extra meal in the food tent does not bring the contestant to the minimum weight they will still have to carry weights.
6. Dropping your wife or falling will incur a 10 second penalty in the contest, and perhaps additional penalties from your ‘wife” after the race.
7. Husbands may carry their wives any way they choose, however it must be by their own power – no foreign object (like wheelbarrows or harnesses) will be allowed.
8. Protests must be made within 5 minutes of the end of the contest. There will be a protest fee, and administration fee… as well as an inconvenience fee.
9. All contestants must wear pants and a smile, and wives must wear a helmet. Other articles of clothing may be substituted for pants, but smiling and having fun are non-negotiable.
10. Inflatable wives will be disqualified.

 

5 Miles around scenic Coachford

The organisers of the Coachford 5 Mile Road Race are preparing for a big entry into this year;s event. on Friday August 19th. All the proceeds from the 2016 run are going to Marymount Hospice to support the great work that they are doing there and to help fund the Community Palliative Care Service. This year the race is being dragged into the 21st century by introducing Chip Timing. This system will enable accurate results to be produced very quickly after the race and competitors can access these almost immediately. Other additions to this year’s race are expanded categories including First family home and team winners, increased prizes, superb after race refreshments, rub downs available after the run and dressing room and shower facilities available on site. The race is rowing n popularity each year. It is very well stewarded and takes runners from the just outside the village towards the river Lee where the scenery is beautiful and then along some lovely country roads before entering the lovely village of Coachford.

One of the race organisers for the last three years, Olive Loughnane, collected her 2009 World Championship Gold Medal this month and Coachford Autumn Festival,  Community Council and other organisations are going to honour Olive after the race on August 19th.Everyone is invited to come along to celebrate the country’s fourth World Champion in Athletics and get your photograph taken with the Gold Medal.For further information contact 086 80 300 86.

Things are hotting up for the 7th Annual Coachford Autumn Festival. Our line up for the Rising Stars talent competition is almost finalized and it looks like it’s going to be a terrific night’s entertainment with bands, groups,individual singers, musicians, dancers and storytellers making up the night’s entertainment.

We are hoping for a big entry into this year’s 5 Mile Road Race.The route remains the same we are encouraging those who may not be able to take part in the run to come to the village and support all those who are running, jogging or walking in this year’s event. All the proceeds from the 2016 run are going to Marymount Hospice to support the great work that they are doing there and to help fund the Community Palliative Care Service. We are dragging the race into the 21st century by introducing Chip Timing. This system will enable accurate results to be produced very quickly after the race and competitors can access these almost immediately.

One of our organisers and race officials for the last three years, Olive Loughnane, collected her 2009 World Championship Gold Medal this month and we and the Community are going to honour Olive after the race on August 19th.Everyone is invited to come along to celebrate the country’s fourth World Champion in Athletics.

The entries for the Queen of the Festival are beginning to come in and it looks like we’ll have a great variety this year. The process of picking the 2016 Queen has changed slightly . This year the Judges will have a lot more input into picking the winner with the audience votes accounting for a smaller percentage of the overall marks. The Queen of the Festival competition 2017 will raise funds for Marymount Hospice and local Charities and we’d love to see a huge crowd come along and support the event and the contestants. There will be a full bar on site and a wonderful Disco afterwards with one of the best up and coming DJs in the County

Coachford Autumn Festival 2016

August 18th to 21st

Coachford is on Festival Footing

Preparations for the 7^th Coachford Autumn Festival are in full swing. The organising committee are putting the calendar of events together and  are confident that this year’s festival will be the best one ever. The  four day event is run by the Broomhill Vintage Club and raises thousands every year for various national and local  charities. ‘Something for Everyone’ is the theme of the Mid Cork Festival and that certainly is the case with the 2016 event.

 

Thursday, August 18th will see the first ever junior talent competition. The ‘Rising Stars’ event will bring the best under 18 talent from all over the county together to perform on stage to entertain the audience and impress the judges. Entries for this fabulous competition must be submitted before July 12^th. For further information contact the festival secretary  on 086 803 0086

 

Athletes, Runners and  walkers will gather in Coachford on Friday 19th to take part in the 5 Mile Road Race. This  year’s participants will enjoy Chip Timing , increased number of prizes and pre and post rub downs by massage therapists along with the usual excellent changing facilities, post race catering and a super organised road race. Registration is from 5.30pm with the race starting at 7pm sharp. Registration is only €13 with all money raised going to Marymount Hospice and Suicide Aware.

 

The High Nelly bicycle road run  takes to the highways and byways on Saturday August 20th and this ever popular event is growing each year. Saturday will also feature the dog show and other side show events. The Queen of the Festival is the highlight of Saturday’s programme . Fifteen contestants representing businesses and organisations in the area will compete for the title, a cash prize  and a chance to go forward and represent the Festival in next year’s Cork Rose contest.

 

 

Sunday is the main event of the Festival and a huge crowd is expected to take part in what is one of the best family day outs in Mid Cork. A fun filled day with attractions and events to take part in or just simply sit back and enjoy is planned for the festival. The Festival’ fittest team competition which was a huge success last year is on the programme again in 2016 along with the Cross Bar Challenge, Dunk tank, egg throwing, Bonny Baby competition, Zorb Ball Soccer, toddlers funfair, face painter, Tractor building, Model Toy Show, Farmers market, Trade stands  and Children’s sports. The Annual Vintage and Classic show will form the backdrop for this hectic day and in 2016 the organisers are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mk 2 Cortina, 50 yrs of John Deere and 70 years of Zetor in Ireland. To mark these Milestones the Broomhill Vintage club will hold a display of these vehicles at the Coachford Autumn Festival on August 21st in The GAA grounds Coachford. The venue is ideal for such a large display. it is expected many owners and fans of these iconic vehicles will make their way to Coachford to be part of this unique occasion and to view all the other beautiful vintage and classic cars on show at this the largest gathering of cars and tractors in Co. Cork an. For further info contact Peter on 086-8447105.

 

Rising Stars Application Form

 

 

 

 

 

Broomhill Vintage Club

The Cork based club are in the process of organising their Summer show which will take place this year on Sunday August 21st as part of the Coachford Autumn Festival. The show now in its 7th year has grown to be one of the finest in the county. The 2015 show witnessed an excellent collection of Mark ll Escorts as part of the vehicles Birthday celebrations and something similar is planned for this year’s event.  The Coachford show brings together a huge variety of vehicles from across Munster and beyond.  Club Chairperson, Jer O’Sullivan said “We are delighted the way that the show is growing. It has become one of the best in Munster and is now a must for many vintage, veteran and classic car  enthusiasts. The facilities that we have here in Coachford for the show are ideal and were expanded this year to include a large concrete display area. We are looking forward to welcoming back our old friends and meeting a lot of new ones on August 21st.” The Coachford Show is organised and run by a group of people who have a love affair with  Vintage  and classic vehicles and  is one of the reasons that the show is growing every year and at this rate the organisers, Broomhill Vintage Club, may have to seek an extension to the very excellent grounds in Coachford. For more information on the show contact Peter on 086 8030086.

 

12,000 reasons to celebrate the success of our 2015 festival.
Broomhill Vintage Club are delighted to be in a position to donate €12,000 to charities from the proceeds of the 2015 Coachford Autumn Festival. This money will benefit nine charities. The Committee would like to thank all those who supported the festival and who have made these donations possible.
The nine charities/groups who are to benefit from the festival are:

Suicide Aware €4,000
Macroom Community Hospital €1,500
Sullane Haven Macroom €1,500
Marymount Hospice €1,500
Coachford Tidy Towns €1,500
Coachford National School Parents Association €500
Aghabullogue National School Parents Association €500
Rylane National School Parents Association €500
Coachford Christmas Lights €500

Thank you,
Thanks to the nine competitors in the Junior Voice of the Festival, the musicians that backed them, The two judges, the sponsors, and the audience. Thanks to the runners & walkers, the stewards, the registrars, time keepers, the patient and not so patient motorists, the DJ, caterers the sponsors and officials at the 5 mile road race. Thanks to the High Nelly participants, the stewards, the pubs for the hospitality, the sponsors, the registrars, the recovery truck, the piper, the medical team and the ticket sellers. Thanks to the dog owners, the compere, and the judges at the Dog Show. Thanks to the Grass racers and the Coachford Cycling Club. Thanks to the DJ for the beat on the street. Thanks to the Tractor Builders. Thanks to the 13 acts (15 contestants) who took part in the Adult Voice of the Festival, the businesses & organisations that sponsored them, the musicians that backed them, the judges, the voters, the audience, the GAA, the bar staff, the caterer, the MC and the sound man. Thanks to the Mark ll Ford Escort owners, the classic, vintage & veteran car owners, the tractor owners, the owner of the thresher, the steam engines, the registrars, the ticket sellers, the sound man, the announcer, pet owners, stall holders, producers of cakes & crafts, the funfair operators, the side show stands, the caterers, the sandwich makers and tea servers, the model toy enthusiasts, the stewards, the course builders, the painter, the carpenter, the tractor builders, the sheep owners, the dunk tank volunteers, the sheep owners, the participants in the Fittest Family competition, the gate keepers, the trade stands, the camogie club, the GAA, the sponsors, the County Mayor, the property owners, the photographers, the medical team, the parents of the Bonny Babies, the face painter, the businesses that displayed our posters, the media who promoted our event, all those who shared and liked our posts on social media. Thanks to the suppliers, the cleaners, the owners of the premises who store our stuff, those who give us products on loans, our bankers and printers. Thanks to our families and all our supporters and patrons and our essential volunteers without whose help we just would not be able to function. We got some things right and some things we need to improve on. Will we do it all again next year? probably. Will we make mistakes? definitely. Thanks for everything. If we missed anyone in the above, sincere apologies. The organising committee – •Tadgh Murphy, Chairman and keeper of order, insurance, negotiator, steward and Trophy buyer,• Peter Dineen , Secretary, •Conor O’Riordan, Treasurer and Book Keeper, steward High Nelly organiser• Kieran Doherty PRO and Model Toy organiser, Electrician, Steward •Peter Coughlan, Chief steward, road race organiser, dynamo, barrier and cone man, planner, Marquee erector, calming influence. ticket seller, champion of vintage display • Kieran McCarthy, Steward, Marquee erector, heavy machinery man, Dunk tank organiser, Fittest Family course designer •Jeremiah O’Sullivan, Sponsorship gatherer , ticket seller, Fittest Family course designer, go getter, ideas man, compere •Tim Flanagan, Advertising Sign erector, steward, Marquee erector, ideas man, transporter, High Nelly organiser • Jackie Doherty, Registrar, ticket seller, trade stand co-ordinator, buyer •Donal Lynch, ever present, safety advisor, gate keeper, sign erector, steward, marquee erector, course builder, • Danny O’Riordan, President, High Nelly organiser, Vintage collection steward, ambassador • Pat O’Riordan, Safety Officer, Sponsorship gatherer , ticket seller, ideas man, steward, negotiator • Kevin Downey, Steward, comedian at meetings, gate keeper, runner , sign erector •John Joe Dennehy, Steward, Marquee erector, Machinery man, driver, High Nelly safety, tractor builder, Dunk tank steward • John Murphy, Steward, ideas man, sponsorship , ticket seller, gate keeper • Con Murphy, Steward, Sponsorship, comedian, optimist, ticket seller, keeper of the faith • Deirdre O’Connor, overseas developer, sheep racing course organiser.

 

The Voice of the Festival: Line up, sponsors and contestants

1.Aghabullogue Camogie – ‘Chicks with Sticks’
2.Kathleen’s Shop Coachford – Shannon O’Brien
3.Stylz Hair Salon Coachford – Colette Hogan
4.Cremin’s Aghabullogue – Paddy Finnegan
5. O’Murchu’s Cill na Martra – Muireann Dineen
6.O’Callaghan’s Bar Coachford – Kayleigh Dilworth
7. Pat Barry’s Donoughmore – Jimmy Jazz Buckley
8.Aghabullogue GAA – Avril Healy
9. Weigh Inn Dripsey – Conor Kelleher
10. Tígh Ui Laoghaíre Bealnamorrive – Ellen Lucey
11. O’Riordan’s Bar Coachford – Laura Hayes
12. Declan Murphy Masonry – Tracey Cronin
13. Coachford AFC – Gemma Herlihy

 

Road Race 

226 runners, 30 volunteers, 200 cups of coffee, tea and soup, 100 bananas, 80 apples ,80 oranges, 100’s of sandwiches and gorgeous Focaccia! made last night’s run the best ever. The 5 miles was run in a time of 26.14 by our winner, Eric Curran. Thanks to all the runners, joggers and walkers who turned up and raised so much money for Suicide Aware. Thanks for battling the hills and the 5 miles and doing it with a good sense of humour. If you beat your time of last year, congratulations! if it was your first time doing it then the best of luck in doing better next year.Thanks to Ciara Murphy of CM Fitness,Nutrition & Sports Rehab who ran the event superbly again this year.Thanks to Aghabullogue Hurling Football & Camogie Club for once again putting the really excellent facilities at our disposal. The girls handling the registration did so without any fuss and made sure everyone was welcomed and looked after Thanks to the stewards who made sure the athletes were safe and the route was protected while traffic disruption was kept to a minimum . Thanks to Rena O’ Donovan and her staff who ran the best soup stand ever and fed the masses with some gorgeous CULLY & SULLY soup. and to Evelyn Tarrant and her team who provided everyone with some delicious sandwiches, (the egg salad were to die for!) and feeding the masses and thanks to O’ Donovan Engineering for the Coffee & tea and Aidan Scully of Sam Dennigan fruit importers who brought the tastiest fruit so the runners could replenish themselves quickly. See you all at the Coachford 5 Mile 2016.

Runners race to Coachford

The Annual Coachford Five Mile Road Race takes place on Friday August 14^th at 7.00pm. The race is one of the key events of the Coachford Festival weekend and is now a very popular race on the Cork calendar. The run is approved by Athletics Ireland, is professionally measured, superbly stewarded and offers runners a unique challenge of completing a 5 mile course. Registration for the run takes place from 5.30pm at the GAA Pavilion in Coachford and entry is only €10 with all the proceeds going to Suicide Aware. Gourmet soup company, Cully & Sully are helping out with the refreshments and gorgeous soup will form part of the refreshment package offered after the race. Changing facilities and warm up and down areas are available at the GAA Pavilion. There are cash prizes ( €100, €50 & €30) for the first three female and male runners home as well as trophies for top team and juvenile winners. The race is sponsored by CM Fitness Nutrition and Sports Rehab. Coachford is less than 15 miles west of Cork City centre and is about half way between the towns of Macroom and Ballincollig on the northern road. The route is mostly flat with Some hills but most of them are in the first 1.3 miles . For further information  and a preview of the race see Cork running blog http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/01/cork105.html

or contact 086 8030086.

 

40^th Birthday Bash for Mark ll Escort

Born in 1975, the Mark ll Ford Escort became one of the greatest cars produced for a mass market. The beauty of this car was that it was equally at home on the commute from the house to work as it was slip sliding away on the rally stages around Ireland and every other country. The Escort was loved by so many people who were lucky enough to own one of these prestigious vehicles. The Ford Escort is a true classic. The Mark ll was a superb family car that offered a certain amount of luxury to the, up to now, very ordinary family car market.  But it was the “Sport”, “RS Mexico”, and “RS2000” that turned the Mark  ll into a legendary rally car that  grew in stature in the hands of ace Irish rally driver, Billy Coleman from Millstreet and world champion, Ari Vatanen from Finland . This car that is renowned the world over is still loved today and many are carefully restored and cared for by motor enthusiasts all over Ireland.  Broomhill Vintage Club will be celebrating this iconic car’s 40^th Anniversary on Sunday August 16^th at the Coachford Autumns Festival’s Vintage and Classic Car show. Club PRO, Kieran Doherty, said, “We are really looking forward to welcoming all the owners and their unique Ford Escorts to our show. We are thrilled to be in the position of marking the Ford Escorts birthday. We have a prize for the best car at the show and we have a memento for every car that attends. We are expecting a large number of other classic, Vintage and Veteran cars and tractors at this year’s show and we are delighted that the Coachford Autumn Festival show is growing in stature year on year with many owners of classic and vintage vehicles making it their number one show of the year.  The Coachford Autumn Festival takes place from August 13^th to 16^th. Proceeds of the festival go to Suicide Aware and local charities. For further information contact 087 2426343.

The Junior Voice of the Festival – Thursday August 13th at 8.30pm

Would you like to take part in the Junior Voice of the Festival?

This singing competition is for people under 16. Musical accompaniment is allowed but no backing tracks. The competition is open to all children. Two judges will decide the winner.

Entry form can be downloaded here Junior Voice entry form

Coachford Autumn Festival 2015

The dates for the 5th Coachford Autumn Festival have been announced. The 2015 festival will take place from Thursday August 13^th to Sunday August 16^th. The organisers are promising another fantastic festival again this year with many new events while retaining the family favourites from previous years. Festival PRO, Kieran Doherty said “ We were thrilled with the success of last year’s event and delighted that we could raise and donate over €8,500 to Suicide Aware and local charities. It was great to see so many families enjoying the wide range of events over the three days. We are already planning for the annual five mile road race on August 14^th, the ‘Voice of The Festival’ on the 15^th and the massive vintage show and family fun day on the 16^th. We look forward to working with our  festival partners, supporters and sponsors again this year.”

Hitler wants to go to Coachford

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Thank you.

 

The organisers of the Coachford Autumn Festival would like to thank everyone who supported the festival this year.

We believe it was our best festival so far. We would like to thank those who attended the events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We hope that families went home happy from the Festival on Sunday, that the runners and walkers were happy with the run on Friday evening and that those who attended the dog show, open air Ceilí and Bachelor competition were glad they did so. We are of course well aware that mistakes were made throughout the weekend. We will continue to try and improve the festival and continue to try and make it something the whole community can be proud of.

To run a festival over three days takes a huge amount of help and involvement from a lot of people. We would like to thank all those who took part in the various events; the bakers, photographers,  high nelly cyclists, runners and walkers, Agri Olympians,  bachelors, musicians, footballers,  babies, mummies and grannies, tractor builders, vehicle owners, model toy display builders ,dog owners, set dancers, egg throwers, and children.  We would of course like to especially thank those who helped as stewards, ticket sellers, those who registered the runners, sponsored the festival, put up bachelors, and supported us in any other way.

The festival is a huge community effort and only the support of so many in the community makes it possible.We would like to thank Aghabullogue GAA for their superb support and co operation, Padraig Donoghue and Dairygold for the use of their properties. We would also like to thank the residents of the village and surrounding areas for their patience and understanding for any disruption that the festival may have caused. We hope to announce how much money was raised for charity in the next few weeks. We are looking forward to 2014 already and ideas and suggestions on how to improve the festival are always welcome.

Coachford Autumn Festival

High Nellies, Yummy Mummies and Brave Bachelors at Coachford Festival

 

A Major Gathering of iconic tractors, Yummy Mummies, Glamorous Grannies, and 12 love hungry bachelors are all part of the 4^th Coachford Autumn Festival which takes place from Friday August 16^th to Sunday August 18^th.

 

The festival will hit the ground running on Friday when the first ever Coachford Five Mile Road Race takes place at 7.30pm. The race is approved by the Athletics Association of Ireland and will take runners on a mostly flat circuit in and around the village. Entries for the race can be made online at www.eventmaster.ie or on the evening from 6.00pm at the GAA Hall Coachford.

 

Throughout the weekend the Festival will have something for everyone. On Saturday afternoon at 5.30pm the fourth annual High Nelly run will see well in excess of 50 vintage bicycles take to the highways and byways of the villages in the area and making sure NOT to pass any of the watering holes on route. Many of those participating last year dressed up in clothes from the period that their bikes were first manufactured in.A pet dog and harrier show will take place at 7.00pm and every kind of mongrel mutt and pure bred princess will be put through their paces to see who takes home the coveted trophy of Best in Show. The Bachelor of the Festival will be held later on Saturday night and 12 eligible love hungry bachelors will parade on stage hoping that their performance may put an end to their contented life as a single man and that they too will be judged ‘Best in Show’!. Saturday evening people of all ages are invited to the free Open Air Ceilí at the GAA grounds from 7.00pm to 9.00pm

 

On Sunday the Veteran, Vintage and Classic Car and tractor show takes over the large venue at the GAA Grounds in Coachford from 12noon. A huge entry is expected and Chairman of the Broomhill Vintage Club, Tadgh Murphy said “ Our event continues to grow in size and quality. The highlight of our vintage show this year is the ‘Major Gathering’ of Fordson Major Tractors. These tractors helped to modernise farming inIreland throughout the 1950’s 1960’s and we are looking forward to seeing a huge gathering of these and other vintage and classic vehicles at the show.”

 

One of the highlights of last year’s festival was the ‘Agrilympics’ and this year this unique competition takes place on Sunday afternoon where teams of four will compete against each other to claim the Perpetual Trophy and the honour of winning this prestigious competition!!. Each team will take part in four farm related challenges. Teams must contain at least one member of the opposite sex.

 

The show on Sunday will also feature a Yummy Mummy, Glamorous Granny and Bonny Baby Competition. A farmers market, Funfair, Childrens Sports, Over 40’s  ‘Blow Ins’ versus ‘Natives’ football match, Baking competitions, Sheaf tossing, Egg throwing, Balloon modelling, Tractor building,  face painting, Model toys, Mini Club of Ireland display and live music featuring Tim O Riordan of Natural Gas are also part of the event filled day at the Coachford Autumn Festival.

 

Festival committee member, Peter Coughlan said, “the festival has raised over €14,000 for Suicide Aware and local charities (Care of the Aged & St. Vincent de Paul) over the last three years and we hope, through the generosity and support of those attending our festival that we will even have more money to donate to charity this year.”

 

This year’s event promises to be the best one yet. Don’t miss it.

August 16th, 17th & 18th

Coachford Festival to Hit the Ground Running

The 4^th Coachford Festival will hit the ground running with a 5 Mile Road Race on Friday August 16^th. The Sorrell Physical Therapy & Fitness sponsored race will begin and end at the GAA grounds in Coachford will take the runners on a fairly level course in and around Coachford village. The race which is AAI approved begins at 7.30pm with registration from 6.00pm. Entry is €10 with the proceeds going to local charities and Suicide Aware.Walkers are also welcome and the start time is 7.00pm for the pedestrians.

Throughout the weekend the Festival will have something for everyone from open air ceili’s, Funfair, Childrens Sports, Gaa Blitz, Over 40’s football Match, Baking competitions, Sheaf tossing, ‘Agrilympics’, tractor building and live music. New to the festival this year is the Bonny Baby, Yummy Mummy and Glamorous Granny competitions. A photography competition and Farmers markets are another part of the 2013 community Festival.

One of the highlights of last year’s festival was the ‘Agrilympics’ and this year the organisers are delighted that O’Donovan Engineering, Coachford have come on board to sponsor this unique competition where on Sunday teams of four will compete against each other to claim the Perpetual Trophy and the honour of winning this prestigious competition!!. Each team will take part in three challenges; pushing a small tractor over an obstacle course, changing the wheels on a car and milking a cow (not a real one). Teams must contain at least one member of the opposite sex.

On Saturday, August 17th, the fourth annual High Nelly run will see well in excess of 50 vintage bicycles take to the highways and byways of the villages in the area and making sure NOT to pass any of the watering holes on route. Many of those participating last year dressed up in clothes from the period that their bikes were first manufactured in. “It was like stepping back in time to the 1920s to see these wonderful machines back on the roads again. We are expecting the event to be bigger this time around and are looking forward to seeing many more men and women dressing up in the style of the 1920’s to the 1950’s “ said Danny Riordan, Club President.

 A pet dog and harrier show will take place in the evening and every kind of mongrel mutt and pure bred princess will be put through their paces to see who takes home the coveted trophy of Best in Show. The Bachelor of the Festival will be held later on Saturday night and 12 eligible bachelors will parade on stage hoping that their performance may put an end to their contented life as a single man and that they too will be judged ‘Best in Show’!.

On Sunday the Veteran, Vintage and Classic Car and tractor show takes over the large venue at the GAA Grounds in Coachford. A huge entry is expected and Chairman of the Broomhill Vintage Club, Tadgh Murphy said “we are thrilled to be running this show for the fourth year. We have raised over €14,000 for charity so far and the event continues to grow in size and quality. The amount of vehicles has been growing each year and thankfully we have loads of space to accommodate whatever turns up.. The highlight of our vintage show this year has to be the ‘Major Gathering’. We are looking forward to welcoming the many Fordson Majors to our show. These iconic tractors are unique and were largely responsible for turning our family farms into the modern agricultural industry we now see today so it’s only right and proper that we celebrate them in this year of the Gathering.”

Sunday will also feature Sheaf tossing, Tractor building, Model toys, Mini Club of Ireland display and much more.

The Coachford Festival has grown to be the most popular summer event in Mid Cork and always attracts a huge crowd. This year’s event promises to be the best one yet. Don’t miss it.

The organisers of the festival are also running a raffle with €500 cash sponsored by O’Riordan’s Bar Coachford being the first prize and other prizes of €250 cash, a weekend away sponsored by the  Heights Hotel Killarney and a Ross Oil sponsored fuel voucher.

For further information contact Tadgh on 087 2426343 or Peter on 086 8447105