Event
Letter Café
10/07/2026 | 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Pop into the Letter Café and take the time to write that letter to let someone know that you're thinking of them. Complimentary stationery, pens and postage...
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West Cork Literary Festival Programme
West Cork Literary Festival Programme
Explore the West Cork Literary Festival programme and immerse yourself in an inclusive 8-day celebration of words and ideas in Bantry, on Ireland’s southwest coastline.
A landmark on Ireland’s literary calendar, this renowned and ambitious festival attracts established and emerging international and Irish writers. With audiences from across the world, they take part in readings, conversations, workshops, and events staged across West Cork’s towns, islands, and peninsulas. Packed days bring book launches and panel discussions. And engaging evenings are filled with more readings and conversations, featuring some of the finest voices in contemporary writing. A dedicated programme for children and young adults, and opportunities for professional development, ensure an imaginative and warm welcome for readers and writers of all ages.
10 – 17 July 2026
94 events
Event
Jen Calleja & Caitríona Lally
11/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
Jen Calleja and Caitríona Lally have written beautiful, thought-provoking but also humourous books about their lives as writers – how a writer should be, how class, economics...
Event
Katriona O’Sullivan: Hungry. A Biography of my Body
11/07/2026 | 2:30 pm
Note: This event is now fully booked and our waiting list is closed. If you are already on the waiting list and we find...
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Event
Bantry Historical Walking Tour
11/07/2026 | 2:30 pm
Note: This WCLF tour is sold out but Bantry Tourist Office organises a tour every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am throughout the summer, including...
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Event
Demystifying the Personal Essay with Ellen Brickley – Saturday
11/07/2026 | 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
This event is now sold out but we have added a second session on Sunday 12 July at 12pm. Return to our main programme...
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Event
Dearbhla Mescal: Finding Joy
11/07/2026 | 4:00 pm
A poetry lover, a curator of joy and a wise woman with a deep sense of compassion, Dearbhla Mescal has inspired thousands online to slow down,...
Event
Keith Ridgway & Djamel White
11/07/2026 | 5:00 pm
With these incredible novels by Dublin authors Keith Ridgway and Djamel White, come and discover whole new versions of Dublin. Dooneen is the layered, allusive and wildly original...
Event
Grapevvine
11/07/2026 | 6:30 pm
Grapevvine brings together the best in Irish storytelling, spoken word, theatre and comedy to explore the art of telling stories in 2026. The platform...
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Event
Charlie Mackesy: Always Remember. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm
11/07/2026 | 8:30 pm
Charlie Mackesy will now be joining us remotely for this event on a live video feed, as he unfortunately cannot travel to us in...
Event
Poetry: Dean Browne, Billy Ramsell & Molly Twomey
11/07/2026 | 10:00 am
Cork has a wealth of incredible poets living within the city and county and it is an honour to bring three of them together...
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Event
Open Mic: Saturday
11/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work – or simply to listen to others and to...
Event
Quiet Reading Hour
11/07/2026 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Daily every morning Inspired by the beautiful painting by Seán Keating on the front of our brochure, by the rise in Silent Book Clubs...
Our West Cork Music Festivals
Join us, across six glorious weeks each summer, as West Cork Music celebrates the best of chamber music, literature, and traditional Irish music through its world-class festivals at the edge of Europe.
