Sherkin becomes island of the arts for weekend

Nigel Towse, secretary of the Sherkin Island Development Society with Aisling Moran, West Cork development worker, Jo Ashby, painter, and Robbie Murphy, committee member, of the West Cork Islands Community Council.

AS part of this year’s West Cork Islands Festival, residents and holiday home owners of Sherkin Island are a planning an exhibition on June 13th and 14th to showcase the wonderful creative talent on the island.

‘Creative Diversity’ opens in the Community Hall on Sherkin Island at 2:30pm on Saturday June 13th.

The exhibition is curated by Sherkin Island painter Jo Ashby and the exhibition will include a wide variety of arts and crafts by local people, including drawings, paintings, sculpture, photography, basket-weaving, textiles, jewellery and much more.

West Cork Islands development worker, Aisling Moran, said Sherkin is now the ‘Island of the Arts’.

‘This is a fantastic opportunity for people to view the amazing creative talent on Sherkin Island and to see how the unique landscape of this island influences artists and inspires people of all ages and backgrounds to create,’ she said.

‘A regular ferry service (with reduced price 12 noon sailing) runs from Baltimore, and as the Community Hall is just a ten minute walk from the pier, we are hoping that visitors will make a day of it and enjoy a stroll along the island’s lovely lanes and check out our unspoilt beaches.’

The majority of the work exhibited will be available for sale and the exhibition runs until 4:30pm on Sunday June 14th.

In addition to the Creative Diversity exhibition, there will be a photographic exhibition and the island’s many artists are opening their studios for the weekend.

Nigel Towse, secretary of Sherkin Island Development Society, reminded visitors that the weekend culminates with social dancing in the Islanders’ Rest Hotel on Sunday, so it promises to be a great weekend. Robbie Murphy, committee member of West Cork Islands Community Council, said the island was extremely grateful to Fáilte Ireland for their support of the West Cork Islands Festival and also to Cork County Council’s arts department for their support with the event.