THE Ellen Hutchins Festival will throw a spotlight on crafts as part of National Heritage Week with workshops in willow weaving at Future Forest, Kealkil, oak gall ink making in Kilcoe Studios in Ballydehob, and writing with a quill pen in Bantry Bookshop.

Join a beginners workshop in botanical art in the magical space of the wooden building at Future Forests, Kealkil, and immerse yourself in nature for a morning with a green sketching workshop in the lovely gardens at the Heron Gallery in Ahakista. There is an opportunity to see letters and books that belonged to Ellen Hutchins, botanist of Bantry Bay, in an archives session at Mannings in Ballylickey on Thursday 20th.

The archives display cabinet will be in Bantry Library with a new display including three seaweed specimens – little bits of Bantry Bay collected and pressed over 200 years ago and having made the journey back here now from the Herbarium in the Botany department of Trinity College, Dublin. You can learn how to press seaweed yourself in workshops on Saturday 15th with Frances Gallagher in Bantry and Sunday 16th with Farraige at the Heron Gallery, Ahakista. The Bantry workshop is seaweed pressing and poetry – with poet Annette Skade running the second half of the session. There are also many opportunities to get closer to plants and understand them better. The festival team will be at Bantry Market on Friday 14th with seaweeds and lichens featured.

Microscopes and hand lenses will be available and guidance on using them and these will also be at the family trail, Plant Detectives in the Peace Park, Bantry on Saturday 22nd and at Future Forests, Kealkil on Sunday 23rd .

See the website listings for more information and how to book for all these activities and many more ellenhutchins.com.