Ballydehob to take part in cross-border music project

MUSICIAN Mick Flannery will be a mentor for a cross-border artistic initiative involving Ballydehob music venue Levis Corner House.

Levis and the Duncairn Arts Centre in Belfast will on ‘The Ties that Bind’, which will provide artists with a platform to collaborate on new projects through exchange residencies, culminating in working sessions and mini festivals.

 The partnership is coordinated by Cork County Council in conjunction with Belfast City Council and is part of the Creative Communities on a Shared Island programme.

Mick Flannery from Cork and Joshua Burnside from Belfast will serve as the partnership mentors.

‘This collaboration between the Cork County Council and Belfast City Council is a unique opportunity for artists from both regions to come together, share talents and strengthen connections,’  said Cork County Council interim chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan. 

‘This project epitomises the spirit of the Shared Island Initiative, and we are proud to be a part of it. 

‘We look forward to seeing the positive outcomes of the project in both West Cork and Belfast added.’

County mayor Cllr Frank O’Flynn said the project will help Cork to learn from Belfast’s experience as a Unesco-designated city of music. ‘West Cork and inner-city Belfast have very different communities with a wealth of creative potential in this exchange for the participating artists,’ he said.

The Shared Island initiative aims to harness the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection, and mutual understanding on the island and the ‘Ties that Bind’ partnership is scheduled to continue into 2024.

Levis Corner House in Ballydehob has become one of Ireland’s best known independent music venues and hosts national and international artists regularly.