Weeks of work by a hardworking committee set up to organise Fermoy’s involvement in the International Marching Band Festival portion of Cork Rebel Week has ended in disappointment due to a lack of a definitive confirmation of the band due to come to the town.

It was initially supposed to have been a band from the UK but, after several changes, due to issues with other bands’ availability and outside the control of the Fermoy committee and the lack of confirmation of a band at this late date, it was decided that Fermoy would abandon its involvement with that aspect of the week’s festivities. The committee has now disbanded.

Fermoy Rebel Week is by no means a non-event though. Avondhu Tourism Association has come on board with Ian Fleming of that group liaising with the former committee’s Ken Barry to ensure that Fermoy still serves as a satellite town for the main event. The ‘Independence Day’ will still be held in Fermoy on October 16th. Shops and businesses in Fermoy will still be involved in selling the special Rebel Week ‘visas’ and there’ll be visa ‘checkpoints’ on Independence Day. The event’s charity partner is the children’s unit of Cork University Hospital and it will receive 100% of funds raised from the inaugural Cork visa programme.

Avondhu Tourism Association also plan to take over the promotion of Fermoy at a special marquee event being held in Cork over the final weekend of Rebel Week. The event will allow local businesses to showcase their goods and services and is considered too good an opportunity to pass up.