West Cork Literary Festival

Seán Rocks – About RTÉ It is with profound sadness that RTÉ announces the death of radio presenter and actor Seán Rocks. Seán died last night following a brief illness at the age of 64. Well-known to listeners all over Irel...

So sorry to hear that Seán Rocks has died. What a gentleman and a champion of the arts. He will be missed by so many. Our condolences go out to his family and his @rteradio1.bsky.social colleagues. Lovely tributes to Seán on so many RTÉ radio shows this morning. RIP Seán
about.rte.ie/2025/07/31/s...

Wonderful news! Congratulations

Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025 longlist | The Booker Prizes From a vast range of global experiences to books brimming with long-held secrets, from fresh voices to Booker Prize alumni, here’s the lowdown on this year’s longlist

Congratulations to the 13 authors longlisted for
@thebookerprizes.com 2025: Claire Adam, Tash Aw, Natasha Brown, Jonathan Buckley, Susan Choi, Kiran Desai, Katie Kitamura, Ben Markovits, Andrew Miller, Maria Reva, David Szalay, Benjamin Wood, Ledia Xhoga
thebookerprizes.com/everything-y...

We are delighted to reveal the #BookerPrize2025 longlist – 13 books ‘all alive with great characters and narrative surprises’.

Huge congratulations to the authors who make up this year's Booker Dozen.

➡️ Discover the full list: thebookerprizes.com/bp2025

Social pics of audience members at West Cork Literary Festival. A double page spread in the Cork Independent

Thanks to the Cork Independent for this gorgeous spread of audience photos from the closing night of WCLF, including this fabulous photo of our director Eimear with Ryan Tubridy and Graham Norton outside Evans shop in Bantry #PureCork #Bantry 📸 @darraghkane.bsky.social

Cork County Council Launches Dementia Friendly Collection of Stories “Come Sit Awhile” The stories comprise of a selection chosen by library staff which includes a public short story competition.

We were honoured to host the launch at WCLF of volume 2 of Cork County Council's Come Sit Awhile. It's a dementia friendly collection of stories, images and memories. Copies available through the network of Cork County Library branches & Nursing Homes and Day Care Centres
www.96fm.ie/news/96fm-ne...

Children's books bonanza This morning we celebrated new books for younger readers aged 8 to 16 with Elaina Ryan from Childrens Books Ireland, and a gathering of young people from all over the country. They gave us their revie...

Listen back to Elaina from @childrensbooksireland.ie and young reviewers giving book recommendations for ages 8-16 on Oliver Callan's show @rteradio1.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Article in The Echo newspaper about the final event of West Cork Literary Festival. The headline reads "Talk-masters were hottest ticket in town" and there is a photo of Bantry shopkeeper Jennifer Evans with Graham Norton and Ryan Tubridy. Article can be read at link in the post

Always a pleasure to be featured in The Echo ❤️ #PureCork
www.echolive.ie/corknews/ari...
@echolive.bsky.social @westcorkmusic.bsky.social

Bundle of books on a table in a sunny garden. The books are: Still, Julia Kelly. To Avenge A Dead Glacier, Shandon Given an. The Boy From The Sea, Garrett Carr. I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There Róisín Lanigan. Show Me Where It Hurts, Claire Gleeson. A Family Matter, Claire Lynch. Injury Time, Kevin Smith. Water In The Desert Fire In The Night, Gethan Dick. This Interim Time, Oona Frawley. Spring Seaweed, Máirtín Ó Direáin. Kin, An Anthology of Poetry Story and Art by Women from Romani Traveller and Nomadic Communities. Assembling Ailish, Sharon Guard.

The WCLF 2025 wrap up has just started but the 2026 reading pile is growing and ready to go #PerkOfTheJob #AmReading ❤️📚🤓

West Cork Literary Festival. Save the dates 10-17 July 2026

Mark your calendars, book your annual leave and come and see us in #Bantry next summer ☀️ ❤️ #SaveTheDate 10-17 July 2026 @westcorkmusic.bsky.social

Really looking forward to reading this @davetynan.bsky.social @grantabooks.bsky.social

Look what arrived while I was away @wcorklitfest.bsky.social! My edited ‘10 poems from the Lake District for @candlestickpress.bsky.social!

It's marvellous and so well-deserved ❤️

A literary triumph for festival | The Southern Star BRISK sales and bums on seats would be a crude summation of what was possibly the busiest and best West Cork Literary Festival to date.

"A literary triumph for festival" ❤️ We're blushing with all the praise but also delighted with the way that audiences and artists alike embraced WCLF and made Bantry the place to be last week. Roll on 2026
www.southernstar.ie/news/a-liter...

Annie Mar Thu 5 Jun 2025 | Annie Mar is an artist and illustrator based in Cork City. She produces commissioned illustrations and animations, facilitates workshops and has her own artistic practice. Annie coll...

If you were lucky enough to attend our @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social zine workshop with Annie Mar last week, you'll know how amazing she is. Check out her residency and workshops at @triskelartscentre.bsky.social this week
triskelartscentre.ie/events/annie...

💞 On Saturday, in Skibbereen, we recharged our love batteries with the launch of Grá!

🏳️‍🌈 A partnership between Crawford Art Gallery, Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, and Salt & Pepper art collective with Toma McCullim, this exhibition celebrates love in all its forms.

💗 Now open until 20 September!

A new essay collection celebrates Sinéad O’Connor’s legacy Contributors to a new book of essays, Nothing Compares to You: What Sinéad O’Connor Means to Us, weigh up the singer’s cultural and political legacy

Last week at WCLF we celebrated the publication of an essay collection Nothing Compares To You: What Sinéad O'Connor Means To Us, with contributors @marthabayne.bsky.social @miekeeerkens.bsky.social & Allyson McCabe. Delighted to see double-page spread @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/world/irelan...

We love Eat The Ones You Love, the "compelling, gorily gorgeous novel" by Sarah Maria Griffin. @griffski.bsky.social's event at WCLF last week was a bit hit with everyone who was in the audience

Gorgeous photo by @darraghkane.bsky.social in
@irishexaminer.bsky.social on Saturday. We'll be smiling at this photo for a long time to come 😍

Ryan Tubridy remembers warmth of home on his recent visit One of the great things about spending so much time in London is the enhanced appreciation of and for Irish hospitality.

Lovely diary in Evoke of Ryan Tubridy's recent trip to Limerick and Cork including his visit to WCLF to interview Graham Norton for our festival finale. We'll never bore of seeing this photo by @darraghkane.bsky.social ❤️
evoke.ie/2025/07/20/e...

With my great pal @cormackinsella.bsky.social @wcorklitfest.bsky.social ❤️ Lots of sound people in Bantry this week. Really enjoyed all the chats and banter. Feel lucky to be part of the Irish writing community.

Thanks to all at the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social for a organising a wonderful evening of chat, reflections & writing tips from Graham Norton.

Our pleasure Fiona! Wasn't it fabulous!

Great little break in beautiful Bantry for the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social - thanks to brilliant authors Barbara Leahy, @wednesdayerskin.bsky.social and @lisaharding.bsky.social for engaging sessions today

Another joyous day yesterday at @wcorklitfest.bsky.social interviewing the effervescent @pollyrowena.bsky.social about her fab book, The Company of owls. After which I joined @ermurray.bsky.social at the Bantry Day Cebtre for chats, readings & craic with real wise owls. (Forgot photos there tho)

Some audience at bottom of photo looking up at interview with interviewer and two authors. Lovely stain glass long window behind the scene

Great interviews with Wendy Erskine @wednesdayerskin.bsky.social author of the magnificent #TheBenefactors and Lisa Harding @lisaharding.bsky.social author of the great #TheWildelings by @irishexaminer.bsky.social Deirdre O’Shaughnessy @deshocks.bsky.social at the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social

So thrilled to have been a small part of @wcorklitfest.bsky.social Great fun. Great memories

Eimear McBride and Cristín Leach sitting next to each other in dark green upholstered armchairs, each holding a hardback copy of Eimear’s new novel, The City Changes Its Face.

On stage with Eimear McBride mid chat at West Cork Lit Festival

A real treat to interview Eimear McBride for @wcorklitfest.bsky.social A brilliant, direct and insightful communicator about her own practice and writing itself. AND she did two room-silencing readings from The City Changes Its Face. #irishwriter #bookfestival

Congratulations Sheila

picture shows the writers included in Jellied Minds, short stroies from the From the Well short story competition, 2025

Delighted to have a story included in this anthology of long-listed entries to the @wcorklitfest.bsky.social Short Story competition. Great evening, lovely to meet some old friends and really great reading too