Michael Palin’s travel adventures reach a peak this July when he finally braves West Cork! He is just one of the headline writers and performers taking part in the West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry from 4th – 10th July. This festival is a well established part of the Summer in West Cork. Under the direction of West Cork Music, it is supported by Cork County Library & Arts Service, the Arts Council and Lyric FM. A packed programme of events, readings, workshops, covers a very wide area of interests for both adults and children.
• Main evening events include novelists Margaret Drabble and Fay Weldon, poet Eavan Boland and travel writer Tim Mackintosh-Smith.
• Afternoon seminars cover topics like Why we read, with Irish Times Literary correspondent Eileen Battersby, Society’s Seven Best Kept Secrets with Dr. Tony Humphreys, and Hypochondria: the Art of Illness with Brian Dillon.
• Children are also fully catered for with readings by writers like Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider/The Power of Five) and John Boyne (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas).
• A huge selection of workshops for both adults and children, could start you on the road to writing Fiction, Short Stories, Freelance Journalism, Poetry, Crime Writing, Fantasy Novels, or Song Writing. These workshops are being lead by top writers and performers including, Julie Feeney (Song Writing), Alex Barclay (Writing Crime), Leanne O’Sullivan (Poetry), and Catherine Dunne (Writing for Women).
Children’s Workshops look after the younger visitors with drawing workshops with Don Conroy, Rhyming Stories with Maddie Stewart, and Storytelling with Liz Weir among others.
So make a date for the first week of July in Bantry, for a day out, a few days of workshops and readings, or a whole week of relaxation and stimulation. All details can be had from www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie or by ringing West Cork Music at
027 55987 Box Office Hours: Monday – Friday 10.00 – 17.00
