Eimear O'Herlihy, the festival director of West Cork Literary Festival, introduces the poetry strand of the popular book bash, which which takes place in Bantry from 11th - 18th July.
We're gearing up for the twenty-seventh edition of the West Cork Literary Festival and we have a packed eight days of workshops, readings and family events.
Literary festivals are a wonderful opportunity to hear writers read their work out loud and this is especially magical when it comes to poetry.
As I write this, the Leaving Cert’s daily exams are in the news and it reminds me that so many people think of poetry as something they left behind in their own schoolyears. A live reading really brings the writing to life and I defy anyone sitting in the audience not to fall in love with poetry. Poets are the rockstars of the literary world and books are the perfect "merch" as people queue up to buy poetry collections the way we used to buy CDs at the end of a gig.
So whether you are a poet, a lover of poetry or still have Leaving Cert nightmares do come and experience poetry in West Cork. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Our festival opens on Friday 11th July with Doire Press poet Jennifer Horgan reading from her debut collection Care alongside Claire Hennessy, whose short stories are also published by Doire; later that afternoon we have Salena Godden, a powerhouse of British poetry whose live performances are absolutely electrifying.
Hop on a boat to Whiddy Island on Saturday afternoon where, thanks to the support of Creative Places West Cork Islands and Cork County Council, we’ll witness Alice Kinsella and Daniel Wade’s cross-disciplinary performance of Wake of the Whale with live musical accompaniment from cellist Patrick Dexter.
On Sunday morning we’ll awaken to a Coffee & Chat under the Bantry House Loggia (with complimentary scones and the best view ever) with Dutch poet Maria Barnas and poet and translator Keith Payne, who lives between Cork and Galicia. Sunday just gets better and better, with a Gallery Press presentation of brand new collections by Vona Groarke and Tom French alongside a bilingual reading by Aifric Mac Aodha - then we team up with Poetry Ireland to bring UK poets Mona Arshi and Oluwaseun Olayiwola to the West Cork stage. If spoken word is more your thing, the Irish Writers Centre present The Word on the Street with four rising stars of Cork’s spoken word scene: Jim Crickard, Kemi George Simpson, Shaunna Lee Lynch and Raphael Olympio.
West Cork poet Annette Skade put her lockdown to good use; when she was confined to the area around her Bantry Bay home, she wrote a poetic tribute to nineteenth-century botanist Ellen Hutchins. Hers is the first chapbook published by Channel, an Irish literary journal of eco-writing.
The last day of the festival offers a chance to hear James Harpur perform The Gospel of the Gargoyle along with French songs and a short film inspired by Notre-Dame Cathedral. Then we wrap up the week with poetry legends and masters of the craft, Thomas McCarthy and Ruth Padel, who have published more than ten poetry collections each.
Who said poetry wasn’t exciting! Come to West Cork Literary Festival to be entertained and inspired by these incredible poets. Lose yourself in these incredible readings and don’t worry, there’s no exam at the end. But you will learn that poetry really is for everyone.
Eimear O’Herlihy is the festival director of West Cork Literary Festival which takes place in Bantry from 11-18 July. www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie
