Our 2026 Programme

Our 2026 festival will run from 10-17 July 2026. Booking now open for all events
Download our 2026 brochure

10 – 17 July 2026

Our friendly and inclusive literary festival, thriving for over 25 years, features renowned & emerging Irish and international writers, imaginative workshops, and free events for all ages in amazing West Cork spaces.

Listen to readings on the loggia at Bantry House, improve your travel writing on a West Cork Island, or immerse yourself in the festival swim as part of a uniquely Irish literary festival that charms writers and readers alike!

Did you know, you can become a festival friend to get priority booking and seating, as well as many other benefits?

West Cork Literary Festival 2026 Brochure (Home Delivery)

30 March 2026
Cost of postage, from €3.50
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An Evening with Maggie O’Farrell: Live At St Luke’s Cork city

18 June 20268:00 pm
Live At St Luke’s, Cork city
Book & Ticket bundle €30. Ticket only €17
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100 Years of Cork County Library Service

10 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free. All Welcome
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Letter Café

10 July 2026
Forest & Flock
Free. Every day except Tuesday
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Karl Henry: The Walking Effect: The Magic of Walking for Wellness and the Best Places in Ireland to do it

10 July 20263:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€20
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Writers Block Networking Session

10 July 20263:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free. All welcome
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Opening Reception: West Cork Literary Festival

10 July 20265:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free. All Welcome
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Doire Press: Karen J McDonnell & John O’Donnell

10 July 20266:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Pop Up Gaeltacht

10 July 20268:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Price: Free – Saor in aisce – All welcome
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Miriam O’Callaghan: Miriam. Life, Work, Everything

10 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€25
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Poetry: Dean Browne, Billy Ramsell & Molly Twomey

11 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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Bantry Book Club: July Meet-Up

11 July 202610:30 am
Westlodge Hotel
Free. All welcome
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Quiet Reading Hour

11 July 202611:00 am
The Maritime Hotel
Free. Every morning from Saturday onwards
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Neil Tully: The Visit

11 July 202611:30 am
Bantry Bookshop
Free
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Create a Comics Character with Sarah Bowie: Nina Peanut

11 July 202612:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 8–12
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Jen Calleja & Caitríona Lally

11 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Bantry Historical Walking Tour

11 July 20262:30 pm
Free but ticketed. Max 12 people
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Katriona O’Sullivan: Hungry. A Biography of my Body

11 July 20262:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€18
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Demystifying the Personal Essay with Ellen Brickley

11 July 20263:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€25
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Dearbhla Mescal: Finding Joy

11 July 20264:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€18
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Keith Ridgway & Djamel White

11 July 20265:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Grapevvine

11 July 20266:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€18
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Charlie Mackesy: Always Remember. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm

11 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic: Saturday

11 July 202610:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free. All Welcome
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Yoga on the Lawn

12 July 20269:00 am
Bantry House Gardens
Price: €15 – pay the teacher on the day (cash only)
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Mícheál Ó hAodha: Máirtín Ó Direáin and the Poetry of Silence and Stone

12 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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The Upside-Down Lighthouse with Paddy Donnelly

12 July 202611:30 am
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 4-8
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The Island of Imagination: A Literary Tour of Ireland with Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

12 July 202612:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
Free but ticketed
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We Are An Archipelago: Erin Fornoff, Patrick O’Laoghaire, Dominic Mullan & Oisín Walsh-Peelo

12 July 20261:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Church
€18
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CBI: Raising Voices Fellows

12 July 2026
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Children’s Books Ireland ProperBook: Writing for Children Masterclass

12 July 20263:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€25
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The Sentence and the Self, John Banville and Victoria Kennefick in conversation, for the Irish Writers Centre

12 July 20263:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€15
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Rosaleen McDonagh: Contentious Spaces‌

12 July 20265:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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The photograph is from an earlier Children’s Authors and Illustrators Meet-Up which took place in 2023.

Children’s Authors and Illustrators Meet-Up

12 July 20265:30 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free. All Welcome
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Margaret Busby: Part of the Story, Writings from Half a Century

12 July 20266:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€16
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Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen. Photo: Bríd O'Donovan.

Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen: Our Deadly Summer

12 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic: Sunday

12 July 202610:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free. All Welcome
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Workshop: Poetry with Jessica Traynor

13 July 20269:30 am
The Maritime Hotel
€245 for 3 days
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Sacha Coward: Queer as Folklore. The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters

13 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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Conor Power: Hurling 1810

13 July 202611:30 am
Bantry Bookshop
Free
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Cluck, The Eggstraordinary Story of Chickens: Evelien De Vlieger

13 July 202612:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 6-12
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New Dutch Writing. Jaguarman: Raoul de Jong

13 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Sally Hayden: This is Also a Love Story

13 July 20262:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€18
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Irish Writers Centre: Writers in the Regions poetry masterclass with Victoria Kennefick

13 July 20263:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€25
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Elaine Feeney & Kathleen MacMahon

13 July 20265:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€16
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Gallery Goes to WCLF: John FitzGerald, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin & Annemarie Ní Churreáin

13 July 20267:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€16
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Ian Rankin: Midnight and Blue

13 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€25
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Open Mic: Monday

13 July 202610:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free. All Welcome
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Workshop: Novel writing with Claire Adam

14 July 20269:30 am
Bantry Courthouse
€245 for 3 days
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Workshop: Travel Writing: Place, People and the Past with Tim Hannigan

14 July 20269:30 am
Whiddy Island
€260 for 3 days, including daily ferry
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Anton Hur: Korean Literature & Translation

14 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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Annmarie O’Connor: Twitch. My Life with Parkinson’s

14 July 202611:30 am
Bantry Bookshop
Free
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Puffling and the Stormy Sea & What’s That Spooky Sound?: Gerry Daly

14 July 202612:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 4-8
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Geraldine Osborne: Somewhere Cold. A Year Living in the High Arctic

14 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Nussaibah Younis by https://ivanweiss.london/

Nussaibah Younis: Fundamentally

14 July 20262:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€18
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An Irish Writers Centre Information Session

14 July 20263:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free but ticketed
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Claire Adam & Ashley Hickson-Lovence

14 July 20265:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Launch of the 2026 Fish Anthology

14 July 20266:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
Free. All Welcome
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Crime Fiction: Jane Casey, Andrea Mara & Catherine Ryan Howard

14 July 20266:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€16
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Patrick Gale & Andrew Miller

14 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic: Tuesday

14 July 202610:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free. All welcome
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image: Alice Meikle

Workshop: Creative Non-Fiction with Katie Goh

15 July 20269:30 am
Christian Fellowship Church
€245 for 3 days
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Workshop: Raise Your Short Story Game with Cynan Jones

15 July 20269:30 am
Curious Keys
€245 for 3 days
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Stories From Sweden: Agnes Lidbeck & Nichola Smalley

15 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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The Bookshop Sisters: Discover How to be a Brilliant Young Bookseller with Sarah Webb

15 July 202611:30 am
Bantry Bookshop
Free but ticketed. Ages 9+
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Tareq Baconi: Fire In Every Direction. A Memoir

15 July 202612:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€12
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BlowInk: Zine launch by immigrant writers in Clonakilty, hosted by Matthew Geden

15 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Ulrike Draesner & Rebecca Braun: Channel Swimmer

15 July 20261:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free but ticketed
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Adrian Tinniswood: The Houses of Guinness

15 July 20262:30 pm
Bantry House
€20
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Beyond the Rainbow, an Irish Writers Centre panel discussion

15 July 20263:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€10
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Rainbow Library Workshop

15 July 20263:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 14-18
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Rainbow Library Anthology Launch

15 July 20264:30 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free. All welcome
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io – intentionally offline

15 July 20265:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Open Mic Matinee

15 July 20266:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free. All welcome
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Poetry Ireland: Nithy Kasa, Mícheál McCann & Jessica Traynor

15 July 20266:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€16
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Word on the Street, an Irish Writers Centre Spoken Word Showcase

15 July 20268:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
Free but ticketed
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Jung Chang: Fly, Wild Swans. My Mother, Myself and China

15 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic: Wednesday

15 July 202610:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free. All welcome
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Nolwenn Le Blevennec: Friends and Lovers

16 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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Shaunna Lee Lynch: The Goddess Complex

16 July 202611:30 am
Bantry Bookshop
Free. YA (and also loved by adults)
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Sara Baume & Marion Coutts

16 July 202612:00 pm
Future Forests
€18
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Everyone Started Singing: A Poetry Showcase with Jenny Mitchell, Imasha Costa, Daragh Fleming & Gerry Murphy

16 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Frank & The Monster: Mats Strandberg

16 July 20262:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 6+
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Daisy Fancourt: Art Cure. The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health

16 July 20262:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€18
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Arts For Health: West Cork with E.R. Murray

16 July 2026
Private Event
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Irish Writers Centre: Zine Workshop with Annie Mar

16 July 20263:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€10
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Readings from UCC’s MA in Creative Writing

16 July 20263:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free. All welcome
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Cynan Jones: Pulse

16 July 20265:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Poetry Happening about Community with Jenny Mitchell

16 July 20266:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€15
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Cáca Milis: A Play by Alice Barry as Gaeilge

16 July 20267:00 pm
Ma Murphy’s
€10
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Jonathan Coe: The Proof of My Innocence

16 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Open Mic: Thursday

16 July 202610:00 pm
The Maritime Hotel
Free. All welcome
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Festival Sea Swim

17 July 20269:00 am
The Abbey Strand
Free
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Cork Zine Fest: Pop Up Zine Library

17 July 202610:00 am
Bridge Street Community Café, Bantry
Free. All Welcome
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Tim Hannigan: The Pathless Land

17 July 202610:00 am
Bantry House – Loggia
€13 Coffee & Chat
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Afric McGlinchey: À la Belle Étoile. The Odyssey of Jeanne Baré

17 July 202611:30 am
Bantry Bookshop
Free
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Do the Dino Dance! with Olivia Hope

17 July 202612:00 pm
St. Brendan’s Hall
Free but ticketed. Ages 4-10
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From the Well 

17 July 20261:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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Nikita Gill: Hekate, The Witch

17 July 20261:00 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€15
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Eco-Fiction on Whiddy Island: Charlotte McConaghy & Eva Meijer

17 July 20262:15 pm
Whiddy Island
Price: €25 including ferry
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Oona Frawley & Katie Goh

17 July 20265:00 pm
Bantry Library
Free
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John Suchet: In Search of Beethoven

17 July 20266:30 pm
Marino Church, Bantry
€16
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Liz Nugent & Louise O’Neill

17 July 20268:30 pm
The Maritime Hotel
€20
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Programme

Arts Council - funding literature
Fáilte Ireland
Wild Atlantic Way
CCC Library & Arts Service
Cork County Council
Pure Cork
Creative Places West Cork Islands
Irish Examiner
Maritime Hotel