From medieval to literature, Cork is spoiled for choice with summer festivals
The White Horse Vikings in action at Youghal's Medieval Festival in St Mary’s College Gardens, Youghal. The annual festival has become one of the country’s largest free events celebrating National Heritage Week. Picture: John Hennessy
From food and history to literature and walking, Cork County is spoiled for choice when it comes to festivals.
All year round, towns and villages throughout the county burst into life for days at a time in celebration of pastimes, hobbies, and more, sometimes niche, sometimes more mainstream, but all contribute to the thriving and lively places we call home.
Many have dedicated followings that travel from afar, and quite a few are wholly reliant on commendable troupes of volunteers to get them started and keep them going.
Almost every weekend of the year, there is something different, something unique happening in Cork, a celebration worth marking in your diary.
In East Cork, on the August bank holiday weekend, a wholesome and authentic fun weekend has become a staple in the calendar.
It is, of course, the Youghal Medieval Festival, which has taken place each summer since 2007, with the exception of 2020, and 2021, when it was an online-only event, due to the covid-19 pandemic.
For some, the idea of a medieval festival might seem niche, but a recent report commissioned by the festival committee that runs the Youghal Medieval Festival found that its economic impact in the town has a value of some €863,000, a major boost to business in the midst of a thriving tourist season.
It also found that a whopping 98% of attendees said they would return to the festival in the future — a ringing endorsement, indeed!
The festival runs with the support of the Irish Heritage Council, the Irish Walled Towns Network, and Cork County Council, and aims to celebrate Youghal's unique built heritage.
Almost 20 activities are run as a staple, including a Medieval Viking tented village, workshops in archaeology, archery displays, traditional arts and crafts, and performances by the Youghal Pipe Band, as well as craft and food stalls.
Such an array of activities is a rarity even in much larger settings.
Speaking about the success of the Youghal Medieval Festival last year, Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O'Sullivan, hailed it as a success.
"Drawing thousands of visitors to Cork every year, the Youghal Medieval Festival is of great significance to the Council and the town of Youghal," she said, adding that it has a bright future ahead.
The Medieval Festival is just one such example of festivals that thrive due to strong local support, and the aid of the local authority.
Earlier this year, in inviting applications for funding under its Cork County Local Festival Fund 2024, the council hailed the importance of festivals for local towns and villages.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, said: “Festivals have huge positive effects on our towns and villages. Not only do they promote cultural heritage and foster community pride, they also are a huge boost to the economy. As well as bringing local communities together, local festivals have the potential to attract thousands of visitors to Cork County to experience our rich culture, deep-rooted traditions and vibrant community spirit.”
It is not just the council that supports such events, though, with Fáilte Ireland also pitching in.
Ciara Sugrue, head of festivals at Fáilte Ireland, said: “Festivals and events play a key role in delivering brilliant visitor experiences, increasing footfall for local businesses, supporting jobs and revenue generation. Managed by Cork County Council, the Local Festival Fund will support festivals that drive domestic demand and enhance the visitor experience across Cork County.
"I am delighted to see that Cork County Council has, once again this year, placed an increased emphasis on sustainable festivals. This year, funding is available, additional to the Local Festival Funding, for festivals who demonstrate the capability of implementing festival ‘greening’ measures to consciously reduce their impact on the environment.”
Perhaps one of the more unique festivals to take place in Cork is the county's Teen Literature Festival.
It takes place in November, and includes the 'one county, one book' programme, as well as online book discussions, and creative writing workshops. Some 1,500 secondary students take part, all reading the same book throughout the month, with the festival encouraging a love of literature and engagement.
In previous years, guest discussions took place with authors as well known as Louise O'Neill.
On a much bigger scale is the well-known Cork Summer Show.
The county's biggest two-day festival, it celebrates food, farming, and fun, with 50,000 people attending the Cork Showgrounds in Curraheen for the event, which takes place each June, come rain or shine. Cork County Council has been involved in the summer show since 2015, with more than 200 traders from all over Ireland serving up food, fashion, wellness, gardening and agri machinery, plus kids zones and live music.
Since 2017, fEast Cork has taken place in Midleton, building on the foundations of the Midleton Food Festival.
It celebrates all things related to the culinary arts, ranging from the exquisite local produce to the renowned chefs who deliver it to our tables.
And while it appears as though 2024 may be a fallow year for fEast, it shouldn't be too long a wait until the next time we can celebrate some of the world's finest cuisine, produced right here on our doorstep.
For those who don't want to wait at all, this May sees the inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food take place, celebrating 60 years of the world-famous Ballymaloe cooking school.
At Ballymaloe from Friday May 17th to Sunday May 19th this year, the festival of food will be three days jam-packed with cooking demos, pop-up dinners, talks, walks, producers’, craft exhibitors and activities celebrating the journey of good food from the soil and sea to your plate.
The tourism benefit of festivals is much-lauded, with these events bringing people to towns and villages which may otherwise be sleepy or quiet, in particular in the off-season.
One area that doesn't struggle to attract tourists is West Cork, with the beauty of the scenery and the reputation of its food ensuring a constant stream of visitors.
But, that is not to say it is short when it comes to its festival offering either.
If the chance to see whales, or eat some unique Irish produce isn't enough to draw you west, perhaps the long-running Bantry Walking Festival might tempt you to dust off those walking shoes?
Running (or, perhaps, walking) every June bank holiday weekend, it involves organised walks in the stunning scenery of Bantry and the surrounding area, including the likes of Sheep's Head, Whiddy Island, and more.
It is ideal for those who like an outdoor event, but perhaps aren't interested in the more strenuous activities associated with popular events such as triathlons.
A little further west is the Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, which has been running for 30 years.
Originally founded in 1994 by Chuck and Nell Kruger to keep the tradition of Irish storytelling alive, it is now world-renowned for showcasing top-class storytelling on the incredibly beautiful island of Cape Clear.
It runs over three days on the island, with details of the 2024 edition set to be unveiled soon.
Of course, these are just scratching the surface when it comes to the broad range of events that take place throughout the year in Cork.
It doesn't even include celebrations of the West Cork Garden Trail, the Courtmacsherry Harbour Festival, the Cobh Regatta, and the dozens more that take place from east to west, north to south every weekend of the year.
In Cork, people are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to festivals.
