Festivals - Living the Sheep's Head Way

West Cork Literary Festival 2022

July 5, 2022 by Dunmanus

West Cork Literary Festival 8 – 15 July 2022

The West Cork Literary Festival presents an extensive programme of readings, workshops, seminars, panel discussions and children’s events

At the heart of the West Cork Literary Festival’s extensive programme is a schedule of five and three day workshops in Coláiste Pobail Bheanntrai. These workshops cover subjects such as the novel, travel writing, script writing, poetry, creative writing for beginners, writing for children and much more.

The main evening events feature readings held in the Maritime Hotel. In recent years, the literary festival’s guest authors have include Graham Norton, Mary Robinson, Colm Tóibín, Lord Melvyn Bragg, Sir Michael Parkinson, Michael Palin, Nuruddin Farah, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Holroyd, Annie Proulx, Margaret Drabble, Fay Weldon, and many more famous authors.

This year sees a full in person return to the festival and a packed schedule of 69 events featuring over 80 authors such as Laureate for Irish Fiction Colm Tóibín, Zadie Smith, Paul Muldoon, Nick Laird, Louise O’Neill, Geoff Dyer, Rosaleen McDonagh, Seán Hewitt, Maeve Higgins, Yan Ge, Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Caroline O’Donoghue, Tice Cin – and many more.

Festival Programme

This summer, the West Cork Literary Festival has partnered with the Lighthouse Project to deliver an offering at Sheep’s Head with writer Sara Baume and visual artist Mark Beatty. The Lighthouse Project is a site-specific response to lighthouses around Ireland, curated by Dani Gill and produced in partnership with festivals and other partners in counties where it takes place. Please note that tickets are limited and attendance at this event is limited to ticket-holders only.

This event takes place on the 15th July 2022.

Book Now

Bantry town is buzzing with literary conversation throughout the festival. There are free readings in Bantry Library and Bantry Bookshop, afternoon seminars, book launches, panel discussions, coffee and chat events.

The West Cork Literary Festival also provides an opportunity for Munster novelists to enter a competition to win the JG Farrell Award.

West Cork Literary Festival at a glance

West Cork Literary Festival

Dates:	8th-15th July 2022
Location:	Bantry, Co. Cork
Bookings:	Book online
Phone:	00 353 (0)27 52788/9
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	http://www.westcorkmusic.ie/literaryfestival/
	Please be advised by individual venues
TripAdvisor Reviews:	No
Google Maps:	Yes
Facebook:	Yes
Twitter:	@wcorklitfest

Carve the Date in Stone for the West Cork Stone Symposium!

January 1, 2018 by Dunmanus

The West Cork Stone Symposium celebrates stone as part of our environment and as a source of inspiration throughout the ages

For generations, artists, makers, producers, and dreamers have been inspired by the stone that forms our peninsulas, islands, rolling hills, and valleys. Stone tells a story that unlocks the flavours, textures, landscapes, and creativity of our Wild Atlantic shoreline.

The West Cork Stone Symposium (March 23–25 2018) in Kilcrohane will be a hands-on, creative celebration of stonecraft, and it’s set to feature craft workshops, talks and tours against the backdrop of the rugged peninsulas and islands on Ireland’s southwest coastline. The symposium follows on from a hugely successful first run last year in Ahakista.

Unleash Your Creativity

Visitors will be able to unleash their creativity as they learn from some of the world’s best dry stone wallers, carvers, and sculptors. Workshop-goers will work beside some of the most skilled craftspeople in Ireland as they begin to master ancient but timeless craft skills. The symposium’s workshops on dry stone walling and stone carving are open to people of all abilities. If you’re an absolute beginner or looking to improve your skills for a project of your own, head to West Cork’s Sheep’s Head peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way for what’s sure to be a creative and collaborative weekend.

“We’re delighted to be passing on traditional skills”, says Victor Daly, a sculptor and stone carver who is the West Cork Stone Symposium’s creative director. “Dry stone walling and stone carving are really ancient crafts, and the work we do is so much part of the landscape of the west of Ireland that people almost see it as part of nature.”

“Dry stone walling and stone carving have helped to shape the identity of the Wild Atlantic Way, and they reflect the character and creativity of our communities too. We’re looking forward to welcoming people to our gathering so that they can immerse themselves in West Cork life and play a part in carrying ancient skills and traditions into the future.”

Visitors to the symposium are sure to draw inspiration at the bustling workshops from the rugged coastline of West Cork’s Sheep’s Head peninsula – a European Destination of Excellence that’s home to one of Ireland’s most creative communities. Don’t miss this chance to gain a unique insight into the environment and the creativity of the people who live here on the very edge of Europe.

Programme & Booking Information

To book workshops and find out more, visit http://westcorkstonesymposium.com

Masters of Tradition Festival 2018

February 2, 2017 by Dunmanus

Masters of Tradition is a five-day traditional music festival held each August in the West Cork town of Bantry

The Masters of Tradition Festival features a series of wonderful performances that cover the full spectrum of Irish traditional music. The festival’s performances take place in fantastic settings around Bantry. Bantry House is one of Ireland’s most exquisite historic mansions, and concerts also take place in one of Bantry’s other special venues, St Brendan’s Church.

The event, organised by West Cork Music, provides a platform where subtle and sometimes obscure elements of Irish traditional music can be heard. By seeking the heart of the music, we find a universal voice that has widespread appeal and reaches across many cultural and musical barriers.

Why not come to Bantry for the festival and enjoy all the coastal town has to offer between the wonderful musical sets the festival has scheduled? There are many great loop walks to enjoy in the area along the Sheep’s Head Way walking route.

The Masters of Tradition festival is headlined by its Artistic Director, Martin Hayes, the fiddler from East Clare, whose distinctive touch and extravagant virtuosity have brought the tradition to new levels. His famous trance-evoking sets with Dennis Cahill have mesmerised audiences all over the world and will do again this summer!

Dates:	22nd-26th August 2018
Location:	Bantry, Co. Cork
Bookings:	Book online
Phone:	00 353 (0)27 52788/9
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	http://www.westcorkmusic.ie/mastersoftradition/
	Please be advised by individual venues
TripAdvisor Reviews:	No
Google Maps:	Yes
Facebook:	Yes
Twitter:	@mastersoftradit

West Cork Chamber Music Festival 2018

February 2, 2017 by Dunmanus

The West Cork Chamber Music Festival is the highlight of the summer for the many music lovers who make the annual pilgrimage to Bantry

Over the course of the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, almost one hundred international musicians perform thirty six concerts in beautiful Bantry House and St. Brendan’s Church, Wolfe Tone Square, Bantry.

Among the musicians scheduled to perform in 2018 are Mairéad Hickey,Peter Spissky, Luigi Gaggero, Alina Ibragamova, and the Dudok Quartet.

This is the festival where the music lover can hear the finest works in the repertoire as well as world premieres of some exciting new music. Each year audience members from throughout Europe, the United States and the Middle East arrive in this small fishing town in a remote corner of West Cork.

The West Cork Chamber Music Festival is not just a week of extraordinary concerts in a fabulous setting. It is also a summer meeting-point for top young ensembles, where advanced students have the opportunity to immerse themselves without distraction in the world of chamber music.

Morning talks, a violin making exhibition, young musician master classes, and a handful of free events run throughout the week.

It is important to pre-book your tickets, as the festival is known to sell out! Tickets for the West Cork Chamber Music Festival can be booked on the festival website or by calling the West Cork Music office.

Dates:	30th June-8th July 2017
Location:	Bantry, Co. Cork
Bookings:	Book online
Phone:	00 353 (0)27 52788/9
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	http://www.westcorkmusic.ie/chambermusicfestival/
	Please be advised by individual venues
TripAdvisor Reviews:	No
Google Maps:	Yes
Facebook:	Yes
Twitter:	@WestCorkMusic