Flock sake: Pigeons scrap food festival over health and safety fears

Gourmands were in a flap last night after pigeons contributed to the cancellation of one of the country’s most popular food festivals.

Restaurateur and bar owner Ernest Cantillon, the man behind the Cork Food Festival, confirmed health and safety concerns over the presence of large numbers of pigeons on the former Beamish and Crawford brewery site in Cork City, contributed to his decision to pull the plug on this year’s event, which was to run in July.

Mr Cantillon said the pigeon issue — and concerns about what they could drop from a height — was among a raft of logistical problems associated with staging the event, on what is effectively an abandoned industrial site.

“The issues could not be overcome — there just isn’t enough lead-in time to overcome the difficulties,” he said.

Established three years ago, the festival in Fitzgerald Park, supported by Cork City Council, Heineken Ireland, and the Irish Examiner, had become one of the city’s summer highlights. However, city council renovations in Fitzgerald Park forced organisers to seek another venue for this year’s event.

Heineken Ireland offered the former Beamish and Crawford site, which has hosted smaller events for about 2,000 people.

With up to 6,000 food fans expected on site daily, Mr Cantillon said they had hoped to use more of the site, including a former bottling plant. However, given the vast numbers expected, health and safety concerns about hazards posed by the River Lee, uneven floors, and limited numbers of escape routes emerged.

The festival costs around €240,000 to stage.