What's On

March

St. Patrick’s Day Bantry Goes Green Festival

15th – 18th March 2024

Each year on the 17th March, Bantry ‘Goes Green’ to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick.

Join in the fabulous parade of creative floats, marching bands and experience Irish culture at it’s best in Bantry.  Enjoy a display of traditional Irish dancing on Wolfe Tone Square by a local dance troop, local Irish bands, face-painting and games for the children. Irish dancing will start at 12.15pm with the parade starting at 1pm on St. Patrick’s Day from Wolfe Tone Square.

The many bars and pubs in Bantry will all have live Irish music, some traditional and some contemporary, to add to the fantastic atmosphere in Bantry for this festival.  Join us in Bantry for a bit of craic for our St. Patrick’s Day Bantry Goes Green Festival!

Have a look at our programme of events for the Festival and start digging out your green attire to wear over the long weekend as Bantry Goes Green!

June

West Cork chamber music festival

June 28th – July 7th 2024

The chamber music festivals that are treasured by music-lovers everywhere share several features – the day is full of music from morning to midnight, the programming repeatedly discovers unexpected repertoire and great but lesser-known musicians, all works are properly rehearsed, there is a strong programme of masterclasses and facilities for young musicians and audiences keep coming back.  These festivals are very often in remote but beautiful places.  This is what we try to achieve in Bantry.

The West Cork Chamber Music Festival includes concerts, masterclasses, talks and instrument making workshops.   The hundred or so invited musicians are without exception superb, the programming combines the challenging and the unknown with the familiar and the whole town is taken over for rehearsals.  There is also a fantastic ‘Fringe Festival’ with daily events all over the town.

Bantry House and St. Brendan’s Church are the main concert venues but all the venues have an intimacy that is vital for chamber music which creates a special community of musicians and music-lovers.  Bantry House itself is renowned for the atmosphere created in the candle-lit Library and the House’s extraordinarily beautiful setting at the head of Bantry Bay.  All events are within walking distance of the town, which enjoys a fantastic atmosphere all week.

July

West Cork Literary festival

12 – 19 July 2024

Now an annual highlight in the Irish literary calendar, the West Cork Literary Festival is a week-long celebration of writing and reading for people of all ages held in Bantry.

From its humble beginnings as a series of casual poetry readings and fringe events around the Chamber Music Festival, it has expanded into a varied and extensive programme of readings, talks and week-long workshops, growing more adventurous and imaginative with each year.

Bantry is delighted to bring the finest Irish and international literary figures to West Cork every July – making exceptional talent accessible to local, regional and national audiences. At the heart of the Festival is the practice and craft of writing, and in keeping with this Festival Director Eimear O’Herlihy, devises a workshop programme second to none, designed to encourage and inspire novice as well as experienced writers.  The West Cork Literary Festival is also a fantastic social event, noted for its supportive and friendly atmosphere, and its personal touch.

For 2021, due to current restrictions, the format will be altered to combine both outdoor events and online events.

Wild atlantic mizen cycle

13 July 2024

The Wild Atlantic Mizen Cycle is a charity cycle event in Bantry which raises funds for local charities.  It is organised by the West Cork Emergency Services & Friends, primarily made up of members of An Garda Síochána, Cork County Fire Service, HSE Ambulance Service, West Cork Civil Defence, The Red Cross and The Irish Coastguard.

See the stunning scenery of West Cork by cycling the Wild Atlantic Way around the Mizen and Sheep’s Head Peninsulas. There are three routes, 130k, 100k and a new 65k route, all starting and finishing in Bantry.

There will be Water-stops and Food-stops en route and there will be a post-cycle party in Bantry afterwards led by a BBQ in the Fire Station. A repair/ breakdown service will be available on the day but you are encouraged to have your bike serviced beforehand.  A wonderful event to be part of and also a great one to spectate as the cyclists weave their way in and around the town.

Bantry Book Fair

13 July 2024

An exciting fringe event during The West Cork Literary Festival is the first Bantry Book Fair at the Boys Club in Bantry ( P75HF95) on Saturday 13th July from 10-5pm.

The Bantry Book Fair will present Antiquarian, Rare and Historical books, Irish Language books, books by Local Authors, Second Hand books and literary magazines.

It will also promote West Cork bookshops and is kindly supported by Bantry Development & Tourism Association.   FREE ADMISSION.

For sellers and interested parties there is still some availability at various prices. Please contact Gearóid 0860522111 or call into the Bantry Tourist Office.

West Cork fit up theatre festival

11th July – 6th August – various locations

The core essence of the Fit-up Theatre Festival nods to the tradition of Fit-up theatre of the 1950s.  Back then, professional companies travelled the length and breadth of Ireland reaching a wide variety of towns, villages and rural areas bringing all members of the community together through the act of theatre.

The events happen all over West Cork and Whiddy Island hosts events as part of this festival.

august

Ellen hutchins festival

17 – 25 August 2024  – various locations, Bantry

The Ellen Hutchins Festival is held every August to celebrate the life and work of Ireland’s first female botanist, Ellen Hutchins who was from Ballylickey, Bantry. 

The festival includes a programme of workshops, exhibitions, walks, talks, boat trips and other events linked to botany, botanical art, landscape and letter writing.  This year the Festival has a full 9 day programme of live events.

Bantry agricultural show

18 August 2024

Every year Bantry is host to one of the biggest summer agricultural shows in the area.  Located on Bantry airstrip overlooking Bantry Bay, it is a fantastic show of all things agricultural competing for that prized rosette.  There are different competitions for skill and breed for horses, ponies, cattle, sheep, goats etc. and it is a fun day for all the family to sit and watch it all.

There are food stalls, bouncy castles, children’s entertainment, dog shows, pony riding, fashion shows, trade stalls, arts and craft competitions and much much more. 

With free shuttle buses from the town, it is a perfect day out for young and old alike.

Masters of tradition festival

21 – 25 August 2024

Masters of Tradition is usually a five-day festival held each August in Bantry featuring a series of performances covering the full spectrum of Irish traditional music.  Performances take place in Bantry House, one of Ireland’s most exquisite historic mansions, and in one of Bantry’s other special venues, St Brendan’s Church.

The Festival’s mission is to give recognition to the masters of this music. Being a master of traditional Irish music doesn’t always entail dazzling virtuosity. Sometimes the ability to channel the deep feeling of the music or the ability to reimagine the music is just as important. We equally value virtuosity of thought, feeling and musical ability.

Masters of Tradition provides a platform where subtle and sometimes obscure elements of the music can be heard. We avoid pressure to present this music in a commercial or watered down manner and in so doing have been able to assure audiences that they are experiencing the music as authentically as possible. By seeking the heart of the music we find a universal voice that has widespread appeal reaching across many cultural and musical barriers.

As ever, the Festival is headlined by its Artistic Director Martin Hayes, the fiddler from East Clare, whose distinctive touch and extravagant virtuosity has brought the tradition to new levels. His famous trance-evoking sets with Dennis Cahill have mesmerised audiences all over the world.

“When we started this festival in 2003, my belief was that a sufficient audience with interest in the most authentic form of Irish music must surely exist; that the music itself does not have to be shaped and bent to meet the perceived needs of an audience. In its purest form it speaks a universal language. I have sat through almost all of the performances each year of this festival and every time I leave Bantry, I do so with a renewed faith in the strength of this music.”

– Martin Hayes [Artistic Director]

September

Culture Night

20 Sept 2024 – Bantry

Culture Night is a celebration of all things Irish through free cultural events in towns and cities across the island of Ireland.  Arts and cultural organisations in Bantry open their doors with free events, talks and performances for everyone to enjoy.  Events are held in local pubs, restaurants and hotels.

Culture Night is brought to you by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Creative Ireland Programme in partnership with Cork City Council. 

october

Bantry Spooky Night

31 Oct 2024 – Wolfe Tone Square – Bantry

Great fun for all the family to celebrate Halloween as everyone gathers in scary fancy dress in Wolfe Tone Square for spooky walks, a Pirate Shipwreck Party Disco and facepainting.

Enjoy the spooky walk around Bantry House & Gardens where you will find hidden ghosts, witches or werewolves hiding in the shadows or maybe a monster or two might jump out at you from their hiding place!  The gardens of Bantry House are decorated to have a scary feel, just watch your step in case you stumble across a skeleton!  Return back to the square in Bantry for a Priate Shipwreck Party Disco for everyone to enjoy.

This is a FREE event for everyone and parents are advised it may be too scary for very young children.  A shuttle bus departs from Wolfe Tone Square at 7pm on the day to Bantry House & Gardens for the spooky walk.

December

Bantry Shop Local Day

8 December 2024

Support Bantry Businesses this Christmas by shopping local and availing of fantastic in-store discounts and special deals throughout the town on the 8th December. 

New Year Family Gathering

31 December 2024

A fantastic annual event on Wolfe Tone Square for all the family to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

Music will start on the square at approx. 9pm and the fireworks will start at approx. 10pm.  Everyone will be able to gather with their families on the square and down along the bay or watch the fireworks from their own homes. 

This is a FREE event for everyone with a great atmosphere to celebrate the New Year together.