Tell me about . . . the West Cork Literary Festival

Get ready for a jam-packed week of events says Eimear O’Herlihy, festival director

What can people expect from this year’s festival?

From July 8th-15th people can expect a real feeling of celebration and an incredible West Cork welcome. Bantry is a wonderful town for festivals and we are more than ready to be back in-person.

We’ve a brilliant line-up of writers like Laureate for Irish Fiction Colm Tóibín, Laureate na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn, Zadie Smith, Nick Laird, Paul Muldoon, Louise O’Neill, Alex Barclay, Danny Denton, Maeve Higgins, Jane Casey, Tadhg Coakley as well as loads of new names to discover.

What are you looking forward to most yourself?

I can’t wait to get back out to Whiddy Island for an afternoon with West Cork writer Sara Baume and our trip to Future Forests Garden Centre with nature writer Kerri ní Dochartaigh and poet Mícheál McCann.

Sum up the magic of the festival?

West Cork Literary Festival is a brilliant week of readings, workshops and family events.

Join us for a swim in the sea with nature writer Nina Mingya Powles, sign up for our flash fiction class with Kathy Fish, come to Bantry House to hear Martina Devlin and Marianne Lee chatting about Edith Somerville and Ellen Hutchins, catch a sneak preview of People’s Republic of Pork, a hilarious new musical set in West Cork  or put yourself on stage during one of our Open Mic nights in Ma Murphy’s.

Whether you are a budding writer, a keen reader or just love meeting new people and experiencing new ideas come to West Cork Literary Festival, we’d love to see you!

• See westcorkmusic.ie/LFprogramme