West Cork Islands

10/09/2026

Loinnir – Cape Clear’s first Irish and Traditional Music festival (11-13th September) – will feature live traditional sessions, music workshops, Irish classes and much more! 🎶

Many of the island’s local musicians will play over the weekend, and visiting musicians will also star! 🎻

The festival will open with Eva Coyle, and the headline act, Alltacht, will perform on Saturday 12th September. ⭐

📆 Find out about Loinnir and events across the West Cork Islands, on our calendar:
https://westcorkislands.com/events/loinnir-festival-cape-clear/

Cork County Council

05/09/2026

The Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival is in full swing, with fantastic stories and tall tales featuring across a family-friendly programme.

📍📅 Check out what's on this weekend at
https://capeclearstorytelling.com

01/09/2026

27/08/2026

Congratulations to Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival - one of just nine organisations selected nationwide to receive a €15,000 National Lottery Good Cause Legends 2026 award. 🔥

The announcement comes just ahead of the 2026 festival (4-6 September), and is a fitting tribute to the outstanding contribution the festival makes to preserving and celebrating Irish culture and heritage. ⭐

Originally founded in 1994 by Chuck and Nell Kruger, the annual festival helps keep the Irish tradition of storytelling alive, and is now world renowned for showcasing top class storytelling from Ireland and around the world against the dramatic backdrop of West Cork's Oileán Chléire.

One of Ireland's most unique cultural events, the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival 2026 returns from 4-6 September.

Don't miss the chance to experience superb storytelling in spectacular surroundings!

See this year's programme at: https://capeclearstorytelling.com/

Cork County Council Visit Cork Wild Atlantic Way

23/08/2026

🎨 Take time to visit Sherkin - West Cork's island of the arts - for an exhibition by Patsy Atkinson, honouring the poetry of Mary Oliver.

Patsy divides her time between Cork City and Sherkin Island, and the exhibition in the island's community hall is part of her MA by Research at MTU Crawford College of Art and Design.

"As the landscapes of Provincetown were imbued into the poetry of Mary Oliver, my work captures the minutiae of nature and the colours and stillness of this beautiful West Cork island."

In keeping with Mary Oliver's creative process, Patsy uses slow, meditative and nature-based processes, including ecoprinting, paper-making, monoprinting and natural dyeing using plants sustainably foraged from the hedgerows of Sherkin.

Encouraging reflection on and respect for the wonder of nature, the exhibition will make a beautiful focal point for your late summer visit to the island!

📅 27th August - 2nd September
🕐 Open daily, noon - 5pm
✨ Opening event: 27th August at 2pm



👉 Find out more about the exhibition: https://westcorkislands.com/events/the-heavenly-invisibles-patsy-atkinson-art-exhibition/

17/08/2026

A short trip across the bay from Bantry Town takes you to Whiddy Island, which boasts amazing views across Bantry Town and the Beara and Sheep's Head peninsula...
😍

Walk, cycle, and explore the island's heritage and natural beauty. 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚵‍♀️🏊‍♂️

Or simply savour a drink and some delicious fresh seafood at The Bank House by the Pier, and watch the world go by for an afternoon! ⛴️🚣‍♀️🌊

You can even stay overnight at the island's welcoming hostel. 🛏

Find out more about the island at westcorkislands.com/whiddy-island

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WildAtlanticWay DiscoverWestCork IrelandGetaway

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14/08/2026

As National Heritage Week events kick off across the West Cork islands, visit a former military stronghold on a guided tour of Lonehort Battery! ⭐️

⭐️ Visit a former military stronghold on a guided tour of Lonehort Battery, the largest of Bere Island’s seven gun batteries, built by the British Admiralty in the early 1900s.
The tour is planned for the afternoon of 15th August.

ℹ️ Find the details at:

https://westcorkislands.com/events/guided-tour-lonehort/

And the tour is just one of the fascinating events planned across Bere Island and Cape Clear in the days ahead.

⭐️ For more details, check out https://westcorkislands.com/heritage-week

Cork County Council Visit Cork Wild Atlantic Way

Visit a former military stronghold on a guided tour of Lonehort Battery, the largest of Bere Island’s seven gun batteries, built by the British Admiralty in the early 1900s. Led by an islander who has a passionate interest in local history, this remarkably preserved fortification offers an immersi...

12/08/2026

Celebrate our unique island heritage when you take part in intriguing and fun events for people of all ages on the West Cork Islands this August. ⭐

Explore the unique built, natural, and cultural heritage of our island homes through events from heritage tours to beach walks and a hands-on knitting workshop. Go on, get out there! ⭐🌊

📆➡️Check out the line-up of West Cork island Heritage Week events at https://westcorkislands.com/heritage-week/

Celebrate Heritage Week with intriguing events and workshops on the West Cork Islands, exploring their unique built, natural and cultural heritage.

09/08/2026

The Do Run Run on Sherkin Island was - yet again - a great success, with runners and walkers enjoying fabulous scenery in the island sunshine! ☀️ 🔥

If you missed it this year, put a note in your diary to lace up for it next August! ☀️🏃☀️

Cork County Council Cork Sports Partnership