Programme

This year’s West Cork Literary Festival will run from 8 – 15 July 2022. Please scroll down to see this year’s line-up. Booking now open. Hope to see you in Bantry! View and download our print brochure here
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Opening Reception of West Cork Literary Festival

8 July 20225:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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CANCELLED – Words Allowed: Teenage Writers with Dave Lordan and E.R. Murray

8 July to 10 July 2022
St. Brendan’s Hall
€125
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Nick Laird & Zadie Smith

8 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Áine Ní Ghlinn: Poetry Workshop for Children

9 July 202210:00 am
Bantry Library
Free but ticketed
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ONLINE: Mary Lawson: A Town Called Solace

9 July 202211:00 am
Zoom
€5
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Amsterdam, Marijke Schermer, foto Mark Kohn 01-06-2021,

Marijke Schermer: Love, If That’s What It Is

9 July 20221:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Sara Baume: Seven Steeples

9 July 20222:30 pm
Whiddy Island
€25
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Laureate na nÓg: Áine Ní Ghlinn in conversation

9 July 20225:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Geoff Dyer: The Last Days of Roger Federer

9 July 20226:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Laureate for Irish Fiction: Colm Tóibín

9 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€5
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Open Mic

9 July 202210:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free
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Tramp Press Clinics (15-minute slots)

10 July 202210:00 am
The Maritime Hotel
Free but ticketed
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J.R. Thorp: Learwife

10 July 202212:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Martina Devlin

10 July 20223:00 pm
Bantry House
€20
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Seán Hewitt & Cristín Leach

10 July 20225:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Jane Casey & Catherine Kirwan

10 July 20226:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Louise O’Neill: Idol

10 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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CANCELLED: Open Mic

10 July 202210:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free
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Jessica Traynor: Pit Lullabies

11 July 202210:00 am
Bantry House Tearooms
€10
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Launch of Swerve Magazine

11 July 20221:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Wayne Miller & Stephen Sexton

11 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€18
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Focus on Cork’s New Literary Journals

11 July 20225:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€10
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Launch of the 2022 Fish Anthology

11 July 20226:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free
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Beginning Poetry with Paul Muldoon

11 July to 15 July 2022
St. Goban’s College, Bantry
€225
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Crime Writing with Jane Casey

11 July to 13 July 2022
St. Goban’s College, Bantry
€225
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Novel Writing with Ashley Hickson-Lovence

11 July 2022
St. Goban’s College, Bantry
€225
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Lucy Caldwell & Ruth Padel

11 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic

11 July 202210:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free
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Tice Cin: Keeping The House

12 July 202210:00 am
Bantry House Tearooms
€10
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Niamh O’Mahony & Annabel Langrish

12 July 202211:30 am
St. Brendan’s Hall
€7
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I Am Lewy: Mícheál Ó hAodha & Rita Kelly

12 July 20221:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Multilingual Poetry Translation workshop

12 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€30
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Niamh Campbell & Danny Denton

12 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€18
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Festival Swim

12 July 20223:45 pm
The Abbey Strand
Free
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Creative Writing with Caroline O’Donoghue

12 July 20225:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
€10
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Kathy Fish (reading)

12 July 20225:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Lynn Buckle & Nina Mingya Powles

12 July 20226:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Tadhg Coakley & Ashley Hickson-Lovence

12 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic

12 July 202210:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free
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Jennifer deBie: Heretic

13 July 202210:00 am
Bantry House Tearooms
€10
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Waking Light: Mícheál McCann & Kerri ní Dochartaigh

13 July 202211:00 am
Future Forests
€18
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Lisa McInerney & Fiona Mozley

13 July 20221:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Caroline O’Donoghue & Mary Watson

13 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€10
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Deirdre Sullivan: I Want to Know That I Will Be Okay

13 July 20225:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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CANCELLED: Rosaleen McDonagh: Unsettled

13 July 20226:30 pm
Zoom
€5
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Crafting the Short Story with Tina Pisco

13 July to 15 July 2022
St. Goban’s College, Bantry
€225
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Yan Ge & Maeve Higgins

13 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic

13 July 202210:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free
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Afric McGlinchey: Tied To The Wind

14 July 202210:00 am
Bantry House Tearooms
€10
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Previous Proper Book event

Properbook: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Writing for Children and Teens

14 July 202211:00 am
The Maritime Hotel
€15
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Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer: Grand Hotel Europa

14 July 20221:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Kathy Fish: The Art of Flash Fiction

14 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Play It Forward Showcase

14 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free
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Madeleine D’Arcy & Nithy Kasa

14 July 20225:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Open Mic Matinee

14 July 20226:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free
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Rodaan Al Galidi: The Leash and the Ball

14 July 20226:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€10
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The Arts Council at 70: Critical Voices 2022

14 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€5
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Open Mic

14 July 202210:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free
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Miek Zwamborn: The Seaweed Collector’s Handbook

15 July 202210:00 am
Bantry House Tearooms
€10
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Shane Hegarty: The Shop of Impossible Ice Creams

15 July 202211:30 am
St. Brendan’s Hall
€7
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From The Well

15 July 20221:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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NEW DATE: Alex Barclay: My Heart & Other Breakables

15 July 20221:30 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
€7
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Sheep's Head Lighthouse came into operation in 1968, built to accommodate the nearby development of Whiddy Island Oil Terminal. The lighthouse marks the southern tip of Bantry Bay, and a 2km trail walk leads to the lighthouse with beautiful views of the peninsula. Because of its distance from the road, much of the equipment and materials used in the construction of the lighthouse were airlifted by helicopter. The lighthouse comprises a 7 metre high round tower on a square building. The Lantern is 83 meters above sea level. The lighthouse is maned by a part time attendant, who carries out essential maintenance.Photo:Valerie O'Sullivan

The Lighthouse Project at Sheep’s Head with Sara Baume & Mark Beatty

15 July 20222:00 pm
Sheep’s Head Lighthouse
€15
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Young Writer Delegates Showcase

15 July 20222:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free
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Suad Al Darra. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

Suad Aldarra: I Don’t Want to Talk About Home

15 July 20225:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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People’s Republic of Pork

15 July 20226:30 pm
Ma Murphy’s
€10
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Paul Muldoon

15 July 20228:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Literary Agent: Jo Unwin – Online

18 July 20221:00 pm
Zoom
€10
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Download the programme

Download the programme

Download a PDF of the Literary Festival brochure

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FAQs

FAQs

Find the most important Literary Festival FAQs

FAQs
Tourist information

Tourist information

Information on transport to Bantry, accommodation, wining, dining and entertainment

Tourist Information

Programme

Arts Council 70
Fáilte Ireland
Wild Atlantic Way
CCC Library & Arts Service
Cork County Council
Pure Cork
Creative Europe Programme
RTÉ Supporting The Arts
READ ON
Maritime Hotel