A buzzing menu of arts and music events for all
Ballydehob Jazz Festivals, Ballydehob, West Cork, Ireland.
For music and arts lovers, Cork truly is a haven.
Barely a week goes by without some sort of concert, festival, or event taking place.
In Cork County, these can be as broad and varied as celebrations of guitar music or jazz, film or literature, music composed pre-1750 to experimental noise.
There really is something for everyone.
Let's be fair: when someone says 'Cork music festival', most of us think jazz.
And that's understandable: the Cork Jazz Festival, running on the October bank holiday weekend, is a behemoth, bringing thousands to the city each year.
But, that is not the sum total of Cork's jazz offering.
Much earlier in the year, the sound of jazz can be heard in the west Cork town of Ballydehob.
This year's edition takes place from May 3 to 6, with the boutique festival featuring a jazz parade, dance workshops, mural exhibitions, food and craft markets, and a whole host of musical events.
Since its inception in 2007, the Ballydehob Jazz Festival has grown in size and stature. Shortlisted for best West Cork Festival in 2019, each May Bank Holiday weekend the village hosts over 40 live music and dance performances that range from big-name concerts to small workshops; from lively pub gigs to intimate side shows and a healthy dose of fringe attractions to compliment.
It is perhaps no wonder that such an amazing event emerged out of this improbable corner of the world. Ballydehob, in West Cork has long been a mecca for artists from all over the world. This ambitious music event is run entirely by volunteers – an eclectic gang of music lovers and festival buffs who share a vision to promote the arts and entertain the masses.
For fans of chamber music, Cork really is among the best places to be.
Earlier this year, the Ortús Chamber Music Festival took place over a week throughout Cork city and county.
Supported by both Cork County Council and Cork City Council, this year's schedule included events in Bantry, Mitchelstown, and Midleton, and performances from artists as well regarded as Alex Petcu and Mairéad Hickey.
In fact, the festival has been running each year since 2016, and also includes educational and outreach projects in schools and public spaces throughout the county.
In the dark winter months, it is a joy for music fans.
It does not stop there, though, when it comes to chamber music.
The West Cork Chamber Music Festival returns this year from June 28 to July 7.
Running annually since 1995, West Cork Music brings the highest calibre of musical and literary experiences to the southwest coast of Ireland. It creates powerful, immersive experiences for its audiences, writers, musicians, and performers. It also contributes hugely to the cultural and economic vibrancy of Bantry town and the West Cork region.
It doesn't stop there for West Cork Music, either.
The organising committee turns its attentions to Masters of Tradition, a celebration of all things traditional in Irish music.
Running since 2003, this year's event is taking place from August 21 to 25, and includes household names like Martin Hayes, Steve Cooney, and Luka Bloom.
And, as if that wasn't enough, they also find time to organise a literary festival in between.
This year, it takes place from July 12 to 19, with its programme of artists and writers to be announced very shortly.
Since it was first held in 1997 this festival has grown from small beginnings to become one of Ireland’s foremost literary events.
The programme is both broad and deep, with international writers as well as Irish ones, emerging writers, and well-established ones all finding a welcome at Bantry.
Readings are a continuing and popular feature, held each day in Bantry Bookshop and Bantry Library, with free admission. They start in the morning and continue through the day and into the evening. There are master classes in various genres, question and answer sessions, interviews with authors, book launches, and a myriad of other events.
The writer in residence is available throughout the week to give one-to-one support on every aspect of being a writer.
Music events are included too, both as part of the programme and in a less formal way in local pubs.
For something a little different, head east.
The East Cork Early Music Festival has been a staple of the calendar since it was established in 2003 by internationally-renowned viol player Sarah Cunningham and Irish early musician Douglas Gunn in collaboration with Cork County Council Arts Office and later the Arts Council. Since its inception, the festival has made high-quality music accessible to all audiences, through the unique accessibility of early music that shares qualities with the best of classical, folk and improvised music.
'Early music' refers to anything composed before 1750.
Last year's event took place in October, so expect similar this time around.
If pre-1750 compositions aren't your thing, though, perhaps a trip to Macroom might be on the cards.
One of the newest festivals in Cork pays homage to one of the oldest. The Macroom Music Fest started in 2023, and will return this June with The Stunning and Hermitage Green.
Macroom town has a history of music festivals as it was the 1st town in Ireland to organise an open-air music festival in 1976 namely, The Mountain Due Festival, with major acts to include: Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, The Chieftains and many more acts with upto 20,000 people attending from all over Europe. This continued until 1982 and, now, 40 years later, Macroom town is once again hosting a music festival.
For something a little different, the Open Ear experimental music festival is worth a look.
Taking place on the stunning Sherkin Island in June, the festival is set to mark its sixth edition this summer.
When it launched in 2016, it prided itself as being a celebration of “experimental, ambient, electronica, neo-classical, hip hop / beats, techno, noise and more”. A very limited capacity adds to its unique feeling: there really is nothing quite like it anywhere else in Ireland.
For movie buffs, the renowned Fastnet Film Festival is an unmissable event each year.
Taking place in the stunning scenery of Schull, the 2024 edition is set to take place over four days from May 22.
Some 519 short films were submitted to the festival for consideration, with around 150 of those set to make the final cut for May's event.
The sheer volume of submissions showcases the range of stories, perspectives, and voices found at the festival each year, with this year's event set to include a masterclass in screen acting.
One of the biggest events announced to date is a screening of the new film by Ross White and Tom Berkeley, the Oscar-winning duo behind 'An Irish Goodbye'.
Their new production 'The Golden West' will be a must-see for those venturing to Schull for this May's event.
Disappointingly absent from the 2024 calendar is an event which is usually Cork's biggest music festival: Indiependence.
The Mitchelstown event has been running annually since 2006, when it started in the town square and has survived a global economic downturn, a pandemic, rain, sunshine, and everything in between.
But, last November, organisers confirmed that the festival would be taking a break in 2024.
"We’ve had some wonderful times and some really difficult ones and now we need a little break to recoup and relook and hopefully come back stronger," they said.
"Indiependence will be taking a break in 2024 with a view to seeing you again in 2025.
"Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported us over the years, we are more grateful than words can explain."
For music fans in Cork (and beyond), it is a bit of a disappointment as the festival has brought household names like the Manic Street Preachers, Public Enemy, Lewis Capaldi, the Coronas, Kodaline, and Hozier to Cork over the years. Regular attendees will be hoping the pause really is just a one-off.
