Since September 1878 the people of Wicklow have celebrated the end of summer holidays with a Regatta.

In those far off days life was grim for many people. It was very much a two-tier society with many ordinary people making a living from the sea. Some men fished locally in small boats and sold their catches on the local market, while others sailed around the world in schooners participating in world trade.

Folklore has it that for every ten men that left in schooners, only seven ever returned. The others were either ‘lost at sea’ or died from disease or hunger.

A group of influential people decided to introduce a Regatta, as festivities on the water were appropriate to the culture of the people and the times. These influential people included such dignitaries as, Earl Fitzwilliam who at that time owned most of Co. Wicklow. Colonel Tighe who has a section of the N11 (main Dublin Road) named after him and a Colonel Tottenham whose descendants still farm in the locality.

The first committee also included Colonel Cunningham and Captain Robert Halpin. (pictured right). Those names and titles will give an indication of British superiority of the late 19th. Century. The first Regatta received widespread acclaim from the business community in the town, many of them Protestant Gentry who supported the organizing committee.

One hundred and twenty two years later and the Regatta Festival continues. Over the years successive Regatta Committees have continued to get huge support from the business community. It is interesting to note the changes that have taken place in the structure of the organizing committee. From the landed gentry of yesteryear the organizers are now ordinary people with jobs in local business and factories. A true indication of the forward march of a nation and its people.

This article, by Leo Cullen, appeared in the 122nd Festival programme in the year 2000.