The annual Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival is inching ever closer with only a few weeks to go now until over 50 groups from around the world converge on the town.

Among those will be The Oggymen, who, being Falmouth-based, will not have far to travel to get to the venues scattered across the town. The Oggymen have built a reputation for tight harmonies and inspiring performances that convey the rugged beauty of Cornwall. Entertaining both visitors and locals with their interpretation of Cornish and contemporary folk songs they have won a legion of devotees.

This year their performance at the shanty festival will see them perform songs from their third album, One Morning In May, alongside celebrated arrangements of local songs that will captivate the hearts of every Cornishman or Cousin Jack

In 2010 the Aberfal Oggymen were formed with one purpose in mind - to sing Cornish songs in three part harmony, and to sing them in their community so they would never be forgotten. Apart from dropping the Aberfal from their name because people kept thinking they were Welsh, nothing has changed since then.

The Pirates of St Piran are a not for profit charity fund raising group who work for the RNLI, The Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, Children’s Hospice South West and The Jubilee Sailing Trust among many other local charities. They started out as an 18th century pirate re-enactment group but these days they find themselves more in demand for their shanty singing than anything else.

A spokesman said: "Our aim has always been to take traditional sea shanties and folk songs and reinterpret them in our own rocky, rumbustious piratical manner. In this way we hope to bring these fine old songs to the attention of a new, young audience and help to keep the sea shanty tradition alive for future generations to enjoy. We also, like all good shanty men, perform our own compositions and hopefully add a few new songs to the genre. We are also trying to resurrect the good old Cornish tradition of pub singing which has fallen by the wayside in recent times.

"Our constantly changing and evolving crew of 25 are based in and around the St Austell area and we are looking forward to meeting and sharing a song and a beer with friends old and new this year."

The Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival runs from June 17 to 19 with performances taking place at a variety of venues across the town. For a full run down of what's happening, where go to falmouthseashanty.co.uk.