Lots of goodwill for Skibb arts festival

Running an arts festival in these tough economic times is challenging, says Declan McCarthy, one of the organisers of the Skibbereen Arts Festival (July 25-August 2).

McCarthy, who runs the Baltimore Fiddle Fair and whose family ran the former McCarthy’s Bar in Baltimore, works within a tight budget.

Now in its sixth year, the Skibbereen Arts Festival receives €7,000 from the Arts Council and about €5,000 from Cork County Council. “We do a collection from the businesses around town which brings in a couple of grand. We have a friends’ scheme where people donate money and we have one benefactor in particular who gives us money every year. We’d be talking about a budget of €20,000 including the box office. If we break even, we’re delighted. ”

The festival, which is run on a voluntary basis, arose out of the perception that Skibbereen should have an arts festival of its own. “There’s a few of us in the town who were involved in a one-day music festival, West Cork x Southwest, which is no longer happening. With West Cork being a haven for artists, we wanted to highlight their work. Years ago, there used to be a Welcome Home Week here. We thought it would be a good idea to bring a festival back to the town. While it’s based in Skibbereen, it’s a festival for the whole of West Cork. The word about it is spreading. Our biggest attraction is our location. We get visitors from all over Ireland.”

McCarthy says it’s difficult to quantify numbers attending the festival. “That’s because we have a lot of unticketed free events. We have one main event every night which would be attended by 150 to 200 people.”

McCarthy programmes the festival along with two others. “There’s about ten of us on the committee and during the week of the festival, lots of people help us out. We’re proud of where we’re from and we want to bring good entertainment to the town.”

What marks the Skibbereen Arts Festival out from other festivals around the country is its affordability, says McCarthy. “Our most expensive ticket price is €20 but most of our events are €8 to €10. We want to be accessible to everyone.”

Attracting artists and acts to feature in the festival is relatively easy. “West Cork is a big attraction for artists, both local, national and international. Last year, we had an Icelandic musician, Valgier Sigurosson, who has worked with people like Bjork and Sigur Ros. Valgier was blown away by the beauty of the place and the hospitality and atmosphere at the festival.”

McCarthy says there’s a lot of goodwill towards the festival. “We’re very lucky to have the use of Abbeystrewry Church which was built in 1867 by Canon James Goodman. Professor of Irish at Trinity and a piper, he collected tunes. Every year, we have an event commemorating him. This year, we have Liam O’Flynn, the famous uileann piper playing with fiddler, Paddy Glackin. Mick Flannery will perform at the church on the final night of the festival.”

The festival programme also includes “a unique River Dance” that takes place along the Ilen River. There will be an outdoor screening of Romeo & Juliet as well as a 12-hour poetry marathon. Croí Glan Integrated Dance Company will perform. The visual arts will be well represented with the work of over 40 artists on display.

This year’s festival will focus on “the importance of the creative arts for mental health and well-being.” Events relating to this theme include Skibbereen Mad Pride, a performance from the West Cork Inclusive Dance Company and the Skibb Smiles Youth Festival which promotes positive mental health in young people.

HERE

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