Skibbereen Arts Festival takes place this year between
with Music, Theatre, Film, Poetry, Visual Arts Trail, Sound Art, Walks, Talks and much much more.
The detailed programme of events will be up on the festival website skibbereenartsfestival.com on 13th June… but you can check their Facebook and Twitter between now and then for updates so ……. stay tuned!
Festivities for St Patrick’s weekend in Skibbereen get underway with the Comhaltas Féile Cheoil from Friday March 13-15 with a programme of Irish traditional music and cultural events to suit all.
On Friday, March 13th at 8pm a Concert/Irish Night takes place in the West Cork Hotel and on the next day, Saturday, March 14th workshops will be held in brush dancing, whistling and lilting in the GAA Pavilion, followed that evening by an Aifreann Tradisiúnta in the Cathedral at 6.30pm. Sunday, March 15th sees Féile Cheoil day of competitions in Rossa College.
Please download a brochure for the full programme of events here : Feile Cheoil Brochure (1)
Staying true to its core, this year’s line-up, yet again, promises a wonderful weekend of fabulous music, with many on those on the line-up playing for the first time in this beautiful corner of West Cork.
With an incredible local singer Songwriter kicking off the weekend’s events at 5pm Friday in Hacketts Bar, the festivities quickly unfold with music to be found the length and breadth of the village in this two day festival including O Regan’s Bar, the Blacksheep, The Corner House, Casa Diego Tapas Bar and, of course, in the beautiful setting of Grove House.
This hidden gem of a festival also holds dear the premise of being a festival for everyone to suit all tastes! This year’s festival is no exception with a line-up that includes contemporary folk, trad, rock, acoustic latin, folk/blues, salsa, disco, gypsy swing, electronica, Cuban percussion and a very cool bunch of DJs spinning funk, disco, soul, deep house and dance through-out the weekend.
The Harvest Moon is also based firmly on a policy of free admission to all music acts through-out the weekend! (This is with the exception of a single ticketed ‘food & music’ event taking place at Grove House on Friday 5th – call 028 28067 to book tickets for this event.) Put this together with its fantastic policy of mixed genres and its ruling moto – ‘a festival for everyone in a village with a big heart’ – is most definitely one that is true to its word!
A decidedly added (and tasty) bonus to this year’s festival is the two superb food events being organised in collaboration with the Taste of West Cork Food Festival at Grove House on the Colla Road. Friday Evening plays host to a ‘tasting and music’ event with music by the super talented duo Colin Vearncombe and Maurice Seezer while Saturday afternoon boasts an outdoor event for the whole family with Dublin-based band, Saint John the Gambler, providing some gypsy swing style of refreshment against the backdrop of a mini food market where local producers will be offering yummy things to eat and buy. All in all, its fair to say, Harvest Moon 2014 promises to be another magical musical (and food) Experience!
For more information on this year’s line-up and other events, please see the festival website on www.harvestmoonmusicfestival.com
Follow on facebook at www.facebook.com/harvestmoonfestival
For all other enquiries, call 085 2180484 or 086 059 3248
Skibbereen’s own River Day will be held on Wednesday 30th July. The River Day will be held in celebration of one of Skibbereen’s dearest treasures, the Ilen River. The day will begin with a trip to the Fastnet, leaving from the Ilen River. Attendees will be joined by Ger Butler, one of Ireland’s last lightkeepers. Now an attendant at the Galley Head Lighthouse, Butler was previously an assistant keeper at the Fastnet, Bull Rock, The Old Head of Kinsale and Mizen Head Lighthouse. The Lightkeeper was an attendant at the Fastnet during the tragic 1979 Fastnet Yacht Race, which resulted in the loss of 18 lives.
A kayaking trip will be available for those wanting to see Skibbereen from a different view, and a river dance will take place at the Steam Mill Quay. Skibbereen musicians from Comhaltas Óg will be performing on a boat as they travel through the town, and will stop at the Quay at 7pm to provide music for the dance. Later at 9pm, a Séisiún will be held in the West Cork Hotel. The Séisiún will give a real taste of Irish traditions, providing Irish song, dance and stories.
Mark Boyden and Stephanie O’ Toole will be presenting ‘Streamscape Ilen’. ‘Streamscape Ilen’ will be a presentation on the innovative Streamscapes Ilen Enviromental Education Project. Those who attend will learn about Biodiversity and Socio-economics benefits of a healthy river, and will get the chance to be involved in an open discussion afterwards.
Finally, the river will be a source of inspiration for participants of Toma McCullim’s outdoor painting workshop, on Wednesday 30th, so people can paint their version of the Ilen River.
For more information please check out the Skibbereen Arts Festival website at www.skibbereenartsfestival.com, or for ticket information please phone 087 1260327.
Cork singer songwriter Mick Flannery, who has just released his fourth album, will perform his best known songs in the acoustic surrounds of Abbeystrewry Church, Skibbereen, on Saturday August 2nd.
Martin Stephenson will be playing in Baby Hannah’s Beer Garden on Thursday July 31st. The British musician, whose career spans over thirty years, has gained critical acclaim alongside his band ‘The Daintees’, and has a discography amounting to an impressive 40 albums.
Other music events to take place in the festival include ‘The Annual Canon Goodman Concert’, which will be held on Sunday 27th July. The concert which is held every year in recognition of influential Irish piper and music historian Canon James Goodman, will see musicians Liam O’Flynn, Paddy Glackin, and Alexander Suarez Mendez play their mastered instruments.
Uileann Pipe player Liam O’Flynn is seen as one of Ireland’s leading musicians. O’Flynn has played with the likes of Irish folk group, Planxty, whose members consist of Christy Moore and Andy Irvine, and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Paddy Glackin is Ireland’s leading fiddle player. The Dubliner was the first fiddle player in the traditional music group, The Bothy Band whose original line-up included Matt Molloy and Tony McMahon.
Cuban Galician Pipe player, Alexander Suarez Mendez will be playing along on The Sunday night. Alexander’s passion for uileann pipes began in 2011, after Gay McKeon from Na Píobairí Uileann held workshops in Havana. The 23 year old musician now teaches the uileann pipes and tin whistle back in his home town.
A Sean Nós session will bring the craic agus ceol to the festival on Friday August 1st at Abbeystrewry Church with music from Nell Ní Chróinín, Caoimhín Ó Feargahil and The Sean Gnóstics. The Vespertine Quintet are set to bring a flare of Chamber Music to the Festival on Friday August 1st, at Liss Ard. While four part acapella group, The Cork Sacred Harp singers are back to perform again this year at the Abbeystrewry Hall on Saturday August 2nd.
For more information on the festival, its events and bookings, please check out the Skibbereen Arts Festival website at www.skibbereenartsfestival.com, or for ticket information please call 087 126 0327.
West Cork Crafts in Townshend Street, Skibbereen is hosting a show of new work by well-known local artist Martin Stone. The show is now open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday (including the Arts Festival), and Martin will be in residence to demonstrate his painting style and talk about his work. All work is for sale, at significant reductions over normal gallery prices. During August, Martin will be joined by local watercolourist Peter Mabey, for a joint exhibition.
Adrian Brentnall, Secretary of West Cork Crafts – the popular arts and crafts co-operative, said ‘We’re delighted to host Martin’s exhibition again this year. West Cork Crafts is dedicated to promoting the work of local artists and craftspeople – and we currently feature some 18 individuals, with everything from Art to Woodcraft – and lots in-between. Because we work as a not-for-profit co-operative, we don’t charge any mark-up on anything we sell – so customers can purchase unique, locally-produced art & crafts at very affordable prices.”
Adrian continued – “We’re finding that more and more customers (visitors and locals alike) are wanting to buy gifts that have been hand-made in the local area, in preference to items manufactured overseas. We are lucky in West Cork to have such a vast array of local talent – and it seems pointless to import items, when higher-quality work is available from local artisans.
Although our shop currently has a full complement of artists and craftspeople, we’re always happy to talk to new people who might be interested in joining us later in the year – for full details of what we do and how we work – take a look at our website – www.westcorkcrafts.ie. West Cork Crafts is open at 61 Townshend Street, Skibbereen from Tuesday to Saturday – 10:30 to 5:30 – call in & prepare to be amazed!
Officers of the Cork County Board of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann met last autumn with the organisation’s Skibbereen branch, Craobh an Sciobairín, which is to host the Cork County Fleadh Cheoil next May 8th to 11th. The annual festival of music, song and Irish language is to take place in Skibbereen with up to 1,500 competitors set to take part in more than 40 categories and thousands more visitors expected to throng the town over the Fleadh weekend.
The Fleadh Cheoil is a weekend festival comprised of céilí dancing, music sessions, street entertainment and competitions in music, singing, comhrá and storytelling. Under 12 and 12/15 competitions will take place on Saturday May 10th, while 15/18 and Senior competitions will take place in Sunday, May 11th. Two qualifiers from each competition will go forward to represent Cork in the Munster Fleadh Cheoil in Killarney in July 2014.
The local branch aims to promote the Irish language and our traditions during the Fleadh and lectures, sessions and Céilí planned, as well as an outdoor traditional music ‘gig rig’ with an Open Air Céilí on Sunday afternoon at the Bridge in the centre of town.
Con McCarthy, chairman of the Cork County Board of Comhaltas and vice-chairman of the Skibbereen branch, warmly welcomes the decision to hold the Fleadh in Skibbereen for the 8th time. Skibbereen Branch is an extremely active Branch, with over 400 members, with a great tradition of song, music and dance and of course the Irish language. There is a growing interest in all aspects of our tradition. Nuala Ní Bhriain, chairperson of Skibbereen’s Fleadh committee, says that this will be a shop window for Skibbereen and for our culture. A lot of hard work will be involved but it is a golden opportunity to showcase the locality. As a Branch it’s also an opportunity to promote what is done, and hopefully it will inspire local people to get involved in Comhaltas.
A Taste of West Cork Food Festival is much more than a festival which happens to be about food. Food ,in itself, carries an inherent feeling of nurture, comfort and gratification. Healthy, naturally produced, fresh tasting and beautifully prepared food further enhances our feeling of wellbeing.
Place this in a geographical area of wild and wonderful natural beauty, layered with ancient spirituality and human tragedy and liberally sprinkled with a purity of culture, art and craft and the result is “West Cork a State of Mind–West Cork a place apart!”
It is this “State of Mind” that draws so many artists, writers, craft people and food producers to West Cork.
A Tast of West Cork Food Festival showcases the wonderful food and food creators of this very special place. It brings together a unique mix of food markets and cooking demonstrations, food tasting and cookery compititions, special dinners, brunches,and banquets, talks and exhibits, children’s events, adventures and more.
A Taste of West Cork which is now in its tenth year is Irelands longest running food festival and is the best opportunity very many local producers and chefs have to showcase their wares to people passionate about food.
The Festival understands how important local food is to our economy and with our wealth of artisan food producers, supportive retailers and markets, talented chefs and award winning restaurants we shall continue to attract visitors to West Cork. Our world renowned food combined with the most idyllic part of Ireland makes A Taste of West Cork the perfect festival for all the family. The festival is also hightlighting West Cork as a top choice of holiday destination to the Irish abroad for The Gathering 2013.
The 2013 Festival is set to be bigger and better and to include the much loved traditional open air food and craft market; food demonstrations and tastings; themed nights in restaurants in Skibbereen and beyond; the already famous Celtic Cook off; blogging workshops amongst others; cookery compititions; traditional music nights; walks and talks and special events.
Plans are afoot to expand and strengthen our connection with our Celtic brethren, not just in the cooking and enjoyment of food but also in the coming together to explore our deep musical connections and to play music together.
There is something to tempt every palate and many events throughout the festival week are free or minimum charges apply so there is also something to suit everyones pocket.
Discover West Cork—Taste West Cork—do join us at the Taste of West Cork Food Festival on the 6th to 15th September 2013.
For full programme of events click on http://www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com/CFSFF_2013_PROGRAMME_web.pdf
A fantastic weekend of music taking place in beautiful Schull village 7th – 9th September. This year’s line-up is now finalised, tickets and info are now available on our website.
Our headline event, The Marquee @ Grove House, takes place Saturday 8th September and features the Ceili Allstars, Interference and Fred – Tickets are €20 and are available on our website or in Schull village. Fantastic Free gigs all weekend at various locations around the village. Also, an open Mic event, feast of local food and crafts @ the Sunday market, outdoor music, facepainting for kids (and adults too) and a Sunday afternoon Gubbeen BBQ with Music by Tony Davis and Paul Tiernan.
For more information on line –up, venues and tickets:
Website: www.harvestmoonmusicfestival.com
Phone: 085 2180484
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarvestMoonFestival
