By Jonathan Magee
With the Burtonport Festival around the corner David Alcorn recalls the orgins of the event, while taking a quick look to the future.
David, who spent 44 years in public service, 29 as a council official and 15 as a councillor before retiring in 2014, reflected on how Burtonport has transformed. “It has changed immensely, with a lot of new business and residential development,” he said.
Carol and David Alcorn.
The festival’s origins lie in tragedy. In 1975 and 1976, eleven men lost their lives when the Evelyn Marie and the Carraig Úna sank after striking rocks at Rathlin O’Birne island. To lift community morale, the first Burtonport festival ran over a weekend in 1977 he said, extending to eight days the following year, timed to finish just as the Dungloe festival began.
David said the festival was designed for all ages, “right through from the bonny baby to the tug-o-war,” and has long drawn home emigrant families.
“It was always the local people living here who took the major interest in it, but then we always had families from here, living abroad, who came home especially for the festival, something we were very proud of,” he said.
He praised the recent festival brochure and book which drew a full house, and highlighted a photo exhibition spanning 1977 to 2025, which he hopes to reopen during the festival. He credited Eugene McGarvey and Adrian Alcorn for their research on the commemorative book. This year’s festival begins Friday, July 17, with Mass at 6.30pm followed by a parade from the Community Centre at 8pm, featuring ten marching bands.
Beatrice Farrelly, Eugene McGarvey and Anthony Gallagher at the opening of last year’s Burtonport Festival.
David paid tribute to retired garda Michael Maloney, who encouraged the festival’s founding after the fishing tragedies. He also welcomed younger organisers including Triona Bonner, Paddy Bonner and Seamus O’Donnell, saying “I think that augers well for the future when you have people like that.”
Summing up, David said his motto was “not to ask anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself, and to try keep working together,” and hoped the festival would continue for many years to come.