The West Cork Chamber Music Festival is a music festival, established in 1995, [1] in the town of Bantry in West Cork, Ireland. It usually occurs in July.
The festival's performers have included the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, Barry Douglas, Nicola Benedetti, Tanja Becker-Bender and Natalie Clein. [2] Presented works have included some by contemporary composers, such as Thomas Larcher.[ citation needed ]
Performances take place at venues around the town, including Bantry House and St Brendan's Church. Bantry House is the central venue; its drawing room has a capacity of about 50.
The festival has included presentations on violin and bow making, master classes, and composition competitions whose past winners include Harry Whalley, Sebastian Adams and Solfa Carlisle. It has also held competitions for young composers. [3]
County Cork is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are Mallow, Macroom, Midleton, and Skibbereen. As of 2022 the county had a population of 581,231, making it the third-most populous county in Ireland. Cork County Council is the local authority for the county, while Cork City Council governs the city of Cork and its environs. Notable Corkonians include Michael Collins, Jack Lynch, Roy Keane, Sonia O'Sullivan and Cillian Murphy.
Galway is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on the island of Ireland and the fourth most populous in the Republic of Ireland, with a population at the 2022 census of 83,456.
Clonakilty, sometimes shortened to Clon, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is located at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town's population as of 2016 was 4,592. The town is a tourism hub in West Cork, and was recognised as the "Best Town in Europe" in 2017, and "Best Place of the Year" in 2017 by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Clonakilty is in the Cork South-West constituency, which has three seats.
Ennis is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,276, making it the 6th largest town, and 12th largest urban settlement, as of 2016. Dating from the 12th century the town's Irish name is short for Inis Cluana Rámhfhada deriving from its location between two courses of the River Fergus.
Glengarriff is a village of approximately 140 people on the N71 national secondary road in the Beara Peninsula of County Cork, Ireland. Known internationally as a tourism venue, it has a number of natural attractions. It sits at the northern head of Glengarriff Bay, a smaller enclave of Bantry Bay.
Skibbereen is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in West Cork on the N71 national secondary road. The name "Skibbereen" means "little boat harbour". The River Ilen runs through the town; it reaches the sea about 12 kilometres away, at the seaside village of Baltimore. As of the Census of Ireland 2011, the population of the town was 2,568. Skibbereen is in the Cork South-West constituency, which has three seats.
Kinsale is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately 25 km (16 mi) south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 which increases in the summer when tourism peaks.
Ballydehob is a coastal village in the southwest of County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the R592 regional road, at a junction with the N71 national secondary road.
Bantry is a town in the civil parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the southwest coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies in West Cork at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for 30 km (19 mi) to the west. The Beara Peninsula is to the northwest, with Sheep's Head peninsula to the southwest.
Castletownbere is a town in County Cork in Ireland. It is located on the Beara Peninsula by Berehaven Harbour. It is also known as Castletown Berehaven.
Bantry House is a historic house with gardens in Bantry, County Cork, Ireland. Originally built in the early 18th century, it has been owned and occupied by the White family since the mid-18th century. Opened to the public since the 1940s, the house, estate and gardens are a tourist destination in West Cork.
Ellen Hutchins (1785–1815) was an early Irish botanist. She specialised in seaweeds, lichens, mosses and liverworts. She is known for finding many plants new to science, identifying hundreds of species, and for her botanical illustrations in contemporary publications. Many plants were named after her by botanists of the day.
Kilcrohane is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is the last coastal village on the Sheep's Head Peninsula after Durrus and Ahakista. Kilcrohane lies under the 'Shadow of Seefin' and is also close to Caher Mountain. The village overlooks Dunmanus Bay.
Tourism in the Republic of Ireland is one of the biggest contributors to the economy of Ireland, with 9.0 million people visiting the country in 2017, about 1.8 times Ireland's population. Each year about €5bn in revenue is made from economic activities directly related to tourists, accounting for about 4% of GNP and employing over 200,000 people. In 2011 alone, Ireland was voted 'Favourite holiday destination in the World' by readers of Frommer's Guide, Lonely Planet listed Ireland as the world's friendliest country and Cork City as one of the top ten cities in the world and the Irish tourist boards website, DiscoverIreland.com, was named the best tourist board website in the world. Most tourists visiting Ireland come from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and France.
Cork is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's boundary in 2019, its population is over 222,000.
Bryce David Dessner is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in collaboration with lead singer / lyricist Matt Berninger.
David Flynn is an Irish composer and musician with a number of major awards and commissions to his name. He is the founder and artistic director of the Irish Memory Orchestra. Many of his works music merge the influence of traditional Irish music with contemporary classical music and jazz. He is also a multi-instrumentalist who works across many genres including classical, jazz, rock and traditional Irish music, with guitar being his main instrument.
Harry Whalley is a Belfast-born composer based in Scotland whose output includes classical music, jazz, and film music.
Seán Doherty is a composer, musicologist and singer from Derry, Northern Ireland.
Siobhán Cleary is an Irish composer. Her most successful compositions have been her orchestral works Alchemy and Cokaygne and her choral piece Theophilus Thistle and the Myth of Miss Muffett. Her opera Vampirella was first performed in Dublin in March 2017. She is a member of Aosdána.