Festival: West Cork Chamber Music Festival

June 26th – July 5th, 2020

Where is it? 

Bantry, Co Cork, Ireland

How to get there 

Nearest airport is Cork Airport, 90 mins away by car.

Local accommodation 

Maritime Hotel, Bantry; Seaview House Hotel, Ballylickey; Westlodge Hotel, Bantry and a selection of guesthouse, B and B and self catering options in the Bantry/Glengarriff / Skibbereen area.

What can tourists visit nearby? 

Bantry lies within the spectacular scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way, the 2,500 km driving route which stretches from County Donegal to County Cork. It lies between the Sheep’s Head and Beara Peninsulas, and tourists can visit sites of historical and archeological interest, from wedge tombs to stone circles. There are 2 nationally-recognised walks namely the 88km Sheep’s Head Way and 165km Beara Way. Garnish and Whiddy Islands are nearby and a range of water and land-based activities are available throughout the summer. Tourists can also visit artisan craftsmen and try their hand at cheese-making or stone-carving.

About your festival

The West Cork Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, welcoming musicians and music-lovers from all over the world. It is an unrivalled opportunity to experience a remarkable range of both performers and repertoire from all over the world. This year’s programme features a dozen Irish premieres as well as world premieres from the Festival’s Composition Competition.

What type of programmes do you have?

The 25th Festival itself is full of stories old and new. A Hans Anderson tale is given a new face, Ophelia and Camille Claudel tell it as it was, Handel’s Amida is abandoned yet again while Aminta and Fillide settle their differences. Beethoven year is celebrated with the late quartets and the 25th anniversary is being marked with a series of commissions, co-commissions and premieres. There will be over fifty concerts including Fringe concerts spread out across West Cork. 

What are the venues like?

Bantry House, a historic house with commanding views over Bantry Bay and the Caha Mountain range, and St Brendan’s Church, Bantry are the two main concert venues with town concerts in St Brendan’s School Hall. Festival fringe events take place on Whiddy and Garnish Islands as well as unique locations in Schull, Ahakista and beyond.

Dress code

We are happy to let our audience decide what to wear!

Food & Drink 

There are many restaurants and cafés in Bantry

Why should someone come to your festival?

Ireland’s leading chamber music festival with an excellent reputation for its programming, an informal atmosphere where audience and musicians can mingle, a world-class line-up and the beauty of its West Cork location

For full information please visit the West Cork Chamber Music Festival website.