Feis Maitiú Corcaigh

Feis Maitiú Corcaigh is an International Festival Member of the British and International Federation of Festivals. The annual event is hosted at Fr Matthew Hall, a 400-seat auditorium in Cork city, Ireland. Feis Maitiú Corcaigh runs for nine weeks, throughout which almost 15,000 participants take to the stage to compete in a range of artistic disciplines. The festival takes place annually from the end of January to the start of April, with the various sections rotating annually within that time frame. Feis Maitiú Corcaigh is the second largest festival of its type in the world, second only to the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival.

Feis Maitiú Corcaigh is grant aided by the Department of Education and Science with funding from the National Lottery.

Feis Maitiú Corcaigh was first established in 1927 by Fr Micheál O’Shea, O.F.M. Cap., a local Capuchin who saw the need for a platform to help and encourage people interested in the performing arts. Cork's inaugural Feis ran for a duration of four days, with records showing in the region of 300 participants. Father Mathew Hall was chosen as the venue for the Feis, the 400-seat auditorium having held the honour throughout the Festival's existence. The Festival's founder became its first President, and while sparsely populated records fail to produce exact dates, it is believed that the position was held by an Fr Micheál for approximately 12 years, or four terms. Fr Micheál was succeeded as President of the Feis by Fr Maurice O'Dowd, who was the predecessor to Fr Matthew Flynn's tenure, during which the first Cork Drama Festival was launched by the then Lord Mayor of Cork, Michael Sheehan. This festival, which has since ceased, was first hosted at Father Mathew Hall, and ran for a fortnight under the adjudication of Ria Mooney and Seán Neeson, the former of which was Principal of the Gaiety Theatre School of Acting.

Fr Nessan Shaw took over from Fr Matthew as President, and alongside Claire O'Halloran, a local teacher, formed the Cork Children's Theatre, later renamed the Cork Youth Theatre, in an effort to further develop the dramatic arts amongst Cork's youth. The group's first production in November 1969, which involved 38 primary school pupils, was the first of many to be both rehearsed and performed at Father Mathew Hall. Up until the early '70s, the Feis had contributed to the development of many tertiary projects, such as the Cork Drama Festival, Cork Youth Theatre and Cór Fhéile, but it was during this decade that the festival really began to progress in its own right.

Under the direction of Br Paul O'Donovan, who took over after Fr Senan Dooley's term as President, the Festival became an International Member of the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech. As a result, Feis Maitiú, Corcaigh has always enjoyed the company of the world's finest adjudicators. Over the years, many internationally renowned adjudicators have presided at the Festival, most notably Sir Arnold Bax, the famed English composer and poet who is now buried at St Finbarr's Cemetery. Records from 1976, the Festival's 50th anniversary, indicate that there was in the region of 8,000 participants. From here, Feis Maitiú Corcaigh continued to flourish, with almost 12,000 performers registering in 1985. By now, the Festival had been extended to six weeks, and classes in a range of disciplines, including those that were instrumental, had been established. In 1994, Br Paul stepped down as head of the Feis after an unprecedented 25 years in office. In an effort to continue the remarkable rate at which the Feis had advanced, the Capuchin Order took the decision to seek Br Paul's replacement from outside their ranks, something which had never before been done. This search led them to Timothy McCarthy.

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