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West Cork Music curates
unforgettable cultural experiences infused with the unique creative energy of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
What’s on
Festivals and events coming up
Chamber Music Festival
25 June - 4 July 2027
Ireland’s finest chamber music festival unfolds from morning to night in stunning settings from Bantry House to the West Cork islands, with world-class concerts, conversations, and masterclasses at every turn.
A cornerstone of Ireland’s classical music calendar, this renowned festival — curated by West Cork Music — attracts internationally acclaimed musicians and passionate music lovers from across the globe to the wild beauty of West Cork’s coastline. Intimate performances, candle-lit concerts, and open rehearsals, along with relaxed fringe events, set this festival experience apart.
See you in 2027!
Chamber Music Festival
5. Main Evening Concert
27/06/2026 | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
'Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.' Writing music for the...
Chamber Music Festival
Violin Talk with Jeremie Legrand
28/06/2026 | 2:00 pm - 2:40 pm
Violin Talk with Jeremie Legrand Material Matters: Structural and Acoustic Criteria for violin wood Jeremie Legrand...
Chamber Music Festival
30. Crespo Series
01/07/2026 | 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Music in time of war This is the final performance by Calidore Quartet in this year’s...
Chamber Music Festival
Violin Talk with Niall Flemming
02/07/2026 | 3:00 pm - 3:40 pm
Niall Flemming will share his insights on the new regulations regarding Pernambuco bows and how the...
West Cork Literary Festival
9 - 16 July 2027
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 – curated by West Cork Music – attracts established and emerging international and Irish writers, and audiences from across the world, to take part in readings, conversations, workshops, and events staged across West Cork’s towns, islands, and peninsulas.
Mark your calendars for next year’s Literary Festival, which will take place from 9–16 July 2027.
Literary Festival
An Evening with Maggie O’Farrell: Live At St Luke’s Cork city
18/06/2026 | 8:00 pm
Note: This event is now sold out and we are no longer adding names to the...
Literary Festival
100 Years of Cork County Library Service
10/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
Cork County Library Service marks its 100th anniversary in 2026. Over the past one hundred years,...
Literary Festival
Writers Block Networking Session
10/07/2026 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Writers Block is an ambitious new creative writing initiative that will bring communities across the county...
Literary Festival
Opening Reception: West Cork Literary Festival
10/07/2026 | 5:00 pm
This year's festival will be officially opened by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan...
Literary Festival
Pop Up Gaeltacht
10/07/2026 | 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Join us for a Pop-Up Gaeltacht and practice whatever level of Irish you have. Cómhrá, craic...
Literary Festival
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...
Literary Festival
Bantry Book Club: July Meet-Up
11/07/2026 | 10:00 am
Please note the new and earlier start time of 10am The Bantry Book Club meets once...
Literary Festival
Neil Tully: The Visit
11/07/2026 | 11:30 am
Neil Tully’s debut novel The Visit is set in June 1963, at the time of John F Kennedy's...
Literary Festival
Create a Comics Character with Sarah Bowie: Nina Peanut
11/07/2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Join bestselling writer and illustrator Sarah Bowie for a fastpaced cartooning workshop. Sarah is the creator of the...
Literary Festival
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 –...
Literary Festival
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...
Literary Festival
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...
Literary Festival
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...
Literary Festival
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...
Literary Festival
Grapevvine
11/07/2026 | 6:30 pm
Grapevvine brings together the best in Irish storytelling, spoken word, theatre and comedy to explore the...
Literary Festival
Open Mic: Saturday
11/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work –...
Literary Festival
CBI: Raising Voices Fellows
12/07/2026
The Children's Books Ireland Raising Voices Fellowship is delighted to announce the six Fellows selected for...
Literary Festival
Yoga on the Lawn
12/07/2026 | 9:00 am
Join us for the perfect start to your morning! Paul O'Donoghue has been practicing Yoga for...
Literary Festival
The Upside-Down Lighthouse with Paddy Donnelly
12/07/2026 | 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Bestselling author-illustrator Paddy Donnelly will join us for a truly topsy-turvy storytime and drawing workshop. On...
Literary Festival
Demystifying the Personal Essay with Ellen Brickley – Sunday
12/07/2026 | 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Due to popular demand we have added this second session of 'Demystifying the Personal Essay with...
Literary Festival
The Island of Imagination: A Literary Tour of Ireland with Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
12/07/2026 | 12:00 pm
Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne delves into contemporary Irish fiction on a journey of...
Literary Festival
Children’s Authors and Illustrators Meet-Up
12/07/2026 | 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
If you love children’s books and like nothing better than talking about books, writing and illustrating,...
Literary Festival
Open Mic: Sunday
12/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work –...
Literary Festival
Workshop: Poetry with Jessica Traynor
13/07/2026 - 15/07/2026 | 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
This poetry workshop with Jessica Traynor will run from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 July, from...
Literary Festival
Conor Power: Hurling 1810
13/07/2026 | 11:30 am
Conor Power’s novel Hurling 1810 is set against the background of a forgotten era in hurling history—when landlords controlled...
Literary Festival
Cluck, The Eggstraordinary Story of Chickens: Evelien De Vlieger
13/07/2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Join Belgian author Evelien De Vlieger to find out everything you ever wanted to know about...
Literary Festival
New Dutch Writing. Jaguarman: Raoul de Jong
13/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
In his memoir Jaguarman, award-winning Dutch writer Raoul de Jong explores the land of his Surinamese father, the history of his ancestors...
Literary Festival
Sally Hayden: This is Also a Love Story
13/07/2026 | 2:30 pm
This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World is the brand-new book by award-winning international correspondent Sally Hayden. We live in an era defined...
Literary Festival
Open Mic: Monday
13/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work –...
Literary Festival
Workshop: Novel writing with Claire Adam
14/07/2026 - 16/07/2026 | 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
This novel-writing workshop will run from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 July, from 9.30am to 2.30pm...
Literary Festival
Workshop: Travel Writing: Place, People and the Past with Tim Hannigan
14/07/2026 - 16/07/2026 | 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
The ticket price includes the daily ferry to and from Whiddy Island. This ferry departs from...
Literary Festival
Annmarie O’Connor: Twitch. My Life with Parkinson’s
14/07/2026 | 11:30 am
Twitch: My Life with Parkinson's is a frank and funny memoir about picking up the pieces when personal tragedy...
Literary Festival
Puffling and the Stormy Sea & What’s That Spooky Sound?: Gerry Daly
14/07/2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Join author and illustrator Gerry Daly for a fun adventure with the wildlife of the Skellig...
Literary Festival
Geraldine Osborne: Somewhere Cold. A Year Living in the High Arctic
14/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
In 1989, Irish doctor Geraldine Osborne, her artist husband Danny, and their three young children – ages...
Literary Festival
Claire Adam & Ashley Hickson-Lovence
14/07/2026 | 5:00 pm
Claire Adam and Ashley Hickson-Lovence write beautifully about families and about the bonds between parents and children, even when...
Literary Festival
Launch of the 2026 Fish Anthology
14/07/2026 | 6:00 pm
Out of thousands of entries and a demanding selection process, the Fish Anthology showcases the very best voices...
Literary Festival
Open Mic: Tuesday
14/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work –...
Literary Festival
Workshop: Creative Non-Fiction with Katie Goh
15/07/2026 - 17/07/2026 | 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
This workshop will run from Wednesday 15 to Friday 17 July, from 9.30am to 2.30pm each day with two...
Literary Festival
The Bookshop Sisters: Discover How to be a Brilliant Young Bookseller with Sarah Webb
15/07/2026 | 11:30 am
Have you got what it takes to be a brilliant young bookseller? Find out in this...
Literary Festival
BlowInk: Zine launch by immigrant writers in Clonakilty, hosted by Matthew Geden
15/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
BlowInk are a group of immigrant writers based in and around Clonakilty. The group arose out...
Literary Festival
Rainbow Library Anthology Launch
15/07/2026 | 4:30 pm
Join the young artists of Rainbow Library as they launch their latest anthology, Chaos. There will...
Literary Festival
io – intentionally offline
15/07/2026 | 5:00 pm
What happens when artists and writers detach entirely from screens and electronics and create something exclusively...
Literary Festival
Open Mic Matinee
15/07/2026 | 6:00 pm
Come along to this special early evening open mic. You are welcome to read your own...
Literary Festival
Open Mic: Wednesday
15/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work –...
Literary Festival
Arts For Health: West Cork with E.R. Murray
16/07/2026
We are partnering with Arts for Health, West Cork, and writer, E.R. Murray, for a special...
Literary Festival
Shaunna Lee Lynch: The Goddess Complex
16/07/2026 | 11:30 am
The Goddess Complex by debut Cork novelist Shaunna Lee Lynch is an unmissable feminist dystopia set in a...
Literary Festival
Sara Baume & Marion Coutts
16/07/2026 | 12:00 pm
Sara Baume and Marion Coutts are both visual artists as well as writers, and the power of art and nature...
Literary Festival
Everyone Started Singing: A Poetry Showcase with Jenny Mitchell, Imasha Costa, Daragh Fleming & Gerry Murphy
16/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
Everyone Started Singing: Poems About Community, published by Cork City Libraries, is an anthology with a difference as it contains work by...
Literary Festival
Frank & The Monster: Mats Strandberg
16/07/2026 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Join Swedish author Mats Strandberg and discover Frank The Monster, his gripping adventure series about trying to belong. A boy-turned-cuddly werewolf discovers his...
Literary Festival
Tales From the Quad: Readings from the UCC MA in Creative Writing
16/07/2026 | 3:00 pm
Join us for a showcase of short readings from fresh, dynamic and diverse emerging voices. Students...
Literary Festival
Cynan Jones: Pulse
16/07/2026 | 5:00 pm
Pulse, the latest book by award-winning Welsh author Cynan Jones, Is a brilliant collection of viscerally powerful short stories in which...
Literary Festival
Open Mic: Thursday
16/07/2026 | 10:00 pm
Every night (Saturday to Thursday) we offer you the opportunity to perform your own work –...
Literary Festival
Letter Café
17/07/2026 | 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Pop into the Letter Café and take the time to write that letter to let someone know that...
Literary Festival
Festival Sea Swim
17/07/2026 | 9:00 am
To really immerse yourself into beautiful West Cork join us for our annual festival sea swim...
Literary Festival
Tim Hannigan: The Pathless Land
17/07/2026 | 10:00 am
Ireland is a pathless land. Public access to the Irish countryside is more limited than almost...
Literary Festival
Cork Zine Fest: Pop Up Zine Library
17/07/2026 | 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sit down with a tea or coffee and browse through our curated zine library, where we...
Literary Festival
Quiet Reading Hour
17/07/2026 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Daily every morning, join us for a quiet reading hour. Inspired by the beautiful painting by...
Literary Festival
Afric McGlinchey: À la Belle Étoile. The Odyssey of Jeanne Baré
17/07/2026 | 11:30 am
West Cork poet Afric McGlinchey’s latest book À la Belle Étoile. The Odyssey of Jeanne Baré is a blazing narrative...
Literary Festival
Do the Dino Dance! with Olivia Hope
17/07/2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
In an interactive feast for the senses, children and parents join Marsha the Megalosaurus on her...
Literary Festival
From the Well
17/07/2026 | 1:00 pm
From the Well is the annual short story competition organised by Cork County Library and Arts...
Literary Festival
Eco-Fiction on Whiddy Island: Charlotte McConaghy & Eva Meijer
17/07/2026 | 2:15 pm
Note: This event is now fully booked. If you would like to join the waiting list...
Literary Festival
Oona Frawley & Katie Goh
17/07/2026 | 5:00 pm
In their memoirs Oona Frawley and Katie Goh look back over their childhoods as the children...
Master of Tradition
19 August - 23 August
Be part of a world-class trad music festival that celebrates the cream of Irish musicianship, emerging talent, and innovation. Directed by the extraordinary Martin Hayes, Masters of Tradition — presented by West Cork Music — is an intimate and ambitious festival that weaves in sean-nós, dance, international traditions, and lively conversations about the past and future of traditional music in Ireland and beyond.
The 2026 Masters of Tradition festival programme unfolds in characterful venues across Bantry from 19 to 23 August.
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Dé Céadaoin (Wednesday Concert)
19/08/2026 | 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
"Hayes – as open-minded as he is open-eared – sees tradition not as something static, but...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Rúnda Déardaoin (Thursday Secret Concert)
20/08/2026 | 12:30 pm
To find out who is performing, you’ll have to come along! 2026 Masters of Tradition’s Secret...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Déardaoin (Thursday Concert)
20/08/2026 | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
A rare opportunity to hear renowned accordionist Charlie Piggott (of De Danann, The Lonely Stranded Band...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Dé hAoine (Friday Concert)
21/08/2026 | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Ciarán Ó Gealbháin is a musician and singer from An Sean-Phobal, in the Waterford Gaeltacht. He...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Rúnda Dé Sathairn (Saturday Secret Concert)
22/08/2026 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
To find out who is performing, you’ll have to come along! 2026 Masters of Tradition’s Secret...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Dé Sathairn (Saturday Concert)
22/08/2026 | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Clíodhna Ní Aodáin is an Irish cellist, composer, conductor, and teacher based in Bern. Classically trained...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Rúnda Dé Domhnaigh (Sunday Secret Concert)
23/08/2026 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
To find out who is performing, you’ll have to come along! 2026 Masters of Tradition’s Secret...
Masters Of Tradition
Ceolchoirm Dé Domhnaigh (Sunday Concert)
23/08/2026 | 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Martin Hayes & Friends Martin Hayes will be joined by a number of musicians for a...
West Cork Concert Series Festival
Year - round
Experience the finest classical and contemporary music in Bantry throughout the year with West Cork Music Presents — our year-round concert series.
Explore the programme to discover live music performances and microfestivals featuring international chamber musicians and Ireland’s leading singer-songwriters, all set in intimate and atmospheric venues around the harbour town of Bantry.
Concert Series
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin at Aiteall
23/10/2026 | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Dublin, whose musical roots are in the...
Concert Series
John Francis Flynn at Aiteall
23/10/2026 | 9:00 pm - 10:15 pm
John Francis Flynn is an Irish singer and multi-instrumentalist whose work traverses the worlds of traditional...
Concert Series
Lilting Workshop with Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin at Aiteall
24/10/2026 | 11:00 am - 12:30 am
Join Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin to learn about and practice the Irish tradition of lilting. Lilting is a traditional...
Concert Series
Amano at Aiteall
24/10/2026 | 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Amano is a singer, songwriter and sean-nós artist with roots in Kerry and Kyūshū (Japan). Her...
Concert Series
Lemoncello at Aiteall
24/10/2026 | 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
It’s hard not to feel seen by Lemoncello, a band whose live performances and recordings shimmer...
Concert Series
Irish Song Workshop with Amano at Aiteall
25/10/2026 | 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Join singer, songwriter and sean-nós artist, Amano, in a 2 hour workshop on Irish song. Since...
Concert Series
Leevy at Aiteall
25/10/2026 | 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
“There is rhythm in the sadness; there is rhythm in the sod” Grown from the boggy...
Concert Series
Sorcha Richardson at Aiteall
25/10/2026 | 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
With her new album, Draw The Outline, Sorcha Richardson leans into the softness of abstraction. Originally...
Concert Series
d_abdu & Isaac Jones at Aiteall
25/10/2026 | 9:30 pm - 11:45 pm
Our closing gig at Aiteall Singer-Songwriter weekend will feature a double headliner with d_abdu and Isaac...
Concert Series
Panel Discussion on Emerging Music with Beta Da Silva & more
Join RTÉ 2fm's Beta Da Silva, musicians Amano and Amhlaoibh McSweeney and other industry professionals for...
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.
Fringe & Family Events
Take part in fun, hands-on, and free events for people of all ages that connect you with words, music, ideas, as well as West Cork’s beauty and creative communities.
Fringe Events
Our free fringe events bring timeless music and exciting ideas to stunning locations across West Cork.
Family Events
Our family events bring wonderful stories and thrilling music to audiences of all ages.
Concert Series
Outside our festival-filled summer season, we are growing an eclectic music events programme featuring exciting classical music performances and contemporary sounds from established and emerging artists across genres.
About West Cork Music
WCM has an intriguing past and an exciting future! As a grassroots rural arts organisation, we’ve been curating West Cork festivals and cultivating artistic excellence on Ireland’s southwest coastline since the 1990s. Our vision has always been to create a permanent home and hub for the arts right here in Bantry.
Now, we have exciting plans to create a stunning multifunctional space for performance and learning from beginner to elite levels.
Visit us in Bantry
Bantry - a welcoming harbour town set at the head of Bantry Bay - is the home and hub for our West Cork Music festivals and events.
A World-Class Home for Music, Arts & Education in Bantry
We have exciting plans to create a dedicated multifunctional space for the arts — a vibrant home for performance, creativity, and education in the heart of Bantry. Together with an Education Hub and welcoming public plaza, and sitting alongside Bantry’s iconic library, our arts venue, designed by McCullough Mulvin Architects will form a new cultural quarter for our region.
Latest Posts
22nd Jan 2024
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Call for Applications: Irish Writers Exchange
The Dutch Foundation for Literature invites applications from Irish writers to join the Dwaalgasten (Wanderers) exchange project. The...
22nd Jan 2024
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Paddington Trio Secure Residency at New England Conservatory
West Cork Music wishes many congratulations to Stephanie, Patrick, and Tuulia and best of luck in this new...