Three West Cork festivals brought in €7.67m for local economy

New report shows economic impact of West Cork Chamber Music Festival, West Cork Literary Festival, and Masters of Tradition

Ryan Tubirdy and Graham Norton in Bantry before going onstage for this year's West Cork Literary Festival. Picture: Darragh Kane

West Cork Music’s three summer festivals delivered an economic impact of more than €7.67m to the area’s local economy in 2025, a new report reveals. 

The research shows that for every euro of public money invested in these festivals, an additional €12.30 in economic impact was generated.

The independent Economic Impact Assessment of the festivals was carried out by Professor Eleanor Doyle of Cork University Business School at UCC.

West Cork Music CEO Francis Humphrys and West Cork Literary Festival director Eimear O'Herlihy. Picture: Karlis Dzjamko

Some 15,888 tickets were sold and more than 5,570 people attended the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, West Cork Literary Festival, and Masters of Tradition in 2025. Of these visitors 17% were from overseas, with 53% from outside the Bantry region.

Local accommodation providers benefited from 20,761 bed nights for the three festivals’ audience, artists, and volunteers while audiences spent more than €4.8m on accommodation, catering, and local services, a substantial increase on 2024.

The festivals are supported by the Arts Council, Cork County Council, and Fáilte Ireland.

"The findings are really encouraging," said festival founder and West Cork Music chief executive Francis Humphrys. "More than ever it remains a challenging time for arts festivals as we continue to face issues with rising costs, static funding and lower tourism nationally. Nonetheless these figures demonstratively prove the value of established and well-run arts organisations to local communities."

Francis Humphrys receives flowers from his daughter, Deirdre, who was a flower girl at the first West Cork Chamber Music Festival, at this year's Chamber Festival finale. Picture: Karlis Dzjamko

The 2026 West Cork Chamber Music Festival runs from June 26 to July 5, 2026, while the West Cork Literary Festival takes place from July 10 to July 17, with the Masters of Tradition running from August 19 to August 23.