BARRY Island’s first ever Sea Shanty Festival was as good as it sounded, with thousands attending the two-day event to capture a taste of the distinctive nautical music genre and help raise funds for the RNLI.
The ‘Festival of the Sea’ was on the weekend of 1-2 June and marked 200 years of the RNLI. In total, 92 shanty crews performed across the 11 venues around the island. It was Wales’s first ever Sea Shanty Festival.
The Boi’s Y Bryn are an all-male Welsh Shanty band based in Cwmbran. They impressed crowds with lively songs about life at sea. One song, titled ‘Bound for South Australia’ had the crowd up on their feet clapping to the rhythm. Another called ‘Old Maui’ was a more soulful piece which told about the hardships crews faced whilst sailing the Arctic. The band were pivotal to the success of the festival as they helped organise the event.
Peter Cox is a member of the group and was part of the organising committee. He said: “When you see a crowd like that it’s brilliant. People are very generous when they see a RNLI bucket.”
Fellow performers included the Buoy Boys from north Somerset. The group is made up of Andy Cruickshank, Kevin McGarry, Rod Hulme, Tim Webster, and Steve Woodward. They said: “It’s been great fun – a really well organised festival as well, and the weather has been fantastic.”
“The audience has just been brilliant. We do all our singing to raise money for the children’s hospice Southwest and the RNLI and that gives you an extra level of satisfaction.”
Another group that turned heads were the all-female group ‘The Drecklys’ from the St Austell Bay who described themselves as “a small group of mainly ‘Cornish Maids’ coming together through a mutual love of music and song.”
The group stole the audience’s attention with songs from crewmate’s wives’ perspectives.
The two-day event was also heavily supported by RNLI stations. RNLI Barry and Penarth had volunteers collecting money and stalls where members of the public could buy RNLI themed merchandise. A lifeboat display was also held on the second day of the festival at Whitmore Bay.
Ben Phillips a mechanic at RNLI Barry Dock was collecting money and said: “I’ve chosen the right spot here close to the bands- Bois y Bryn helped organise it. They have done fundraisers for us and it’s nice to see new bands.”
He continued: “My message to the public is to keep yourself safe at sea and to swim between the red and yellow flags.”
- Pencoed tangled up by ‘Seaweeds’
- Primary school’s former deputy head is banned from teaching
- I make no apologies for calling Plaid Cymru ‘separatists’
⭐ All of our social media in one handy place – here
Pencoed tangled up by ‘Seaweeds’
Primary school’s former deputy head is banned from teaching
I make no apologies for calling Plaid Cymru ‘separatists’
‘The importance of participation and continued learning’
Opposition leaders clash with First Minister over independence rally
How Kevin saved a stranger’s life
