Making an artistic mark in East Cork

New Yorker Jessica Bonenfant Coogan has noticed a curious discrepancy between east and west when it comes to Cork county; arts infrastructure has tended to be better resourced in the west of Ireland’s largest county.

“I’m an outsider and I don’t know enough about the history, but I feel like it’s deeper rooted in tourism in West Cork,” Killeagh-based Coogan says. “There’s a history of a lot of artists living out that way. You have Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, you have a lot of festivals and I think there’s been a lot of collaboration. You don’t see as much here.”