County Mayor's diary

By Mayor of Cork Cllr christopher O'Sullivan

It’s festival season in Cork and it’s wonderful.

Over the past few weeks I have attended the launches of arts festivals, music festivals, literary festivals, food festivals and a pride festival. It’s a real eye opener as to what voluntary and community groups can achieve!

I’d wager that we have more festivals in County Cork than in any other county in Ireland, and there’s nothing like a festival to bring a community together. I have to go no further than my home town of Clonakilty to see this.
The first two festivals I attended as mayor were in Clonakilty, starting with the incredibly colourful Street Carnival which was followed by the hugely popular South of Ireland Band Championships. The latter has recently been combined with the town’s Old Time Fair which sees visitors and volunteers dress up in old time garb from the 1820's to the 1920's. It was so uplifting to see the entire community come together and create magic.

The arts scene in Cork is incredibly rich, and the nature of the festival launches I have attended in the past two weeks is testament to this. The West Cork Literary Festival and The Skibbereen Arts Festival are just two of them. We also have the Drimoleague Singing Festival, the Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, The West Cork Chamber Music Festival, The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, The Fastnet Film Festival, the Ballydehob Jazz Festival and more to show a wealth of artistic talent in Cork, all supported by Cork County Council.
Last week in Baltimore, I was invited to the launch of the Taste of West Cork food festival. It has grown massively in recent years and has become a must do for foodies right across Europe. It’s a marvel which showcases the artisan cheeses, chorizos, smoked fish and other produce that West Cork has become renowned for.

Corks LGBT+ Pride will be enjoyed in County Cork this year with Pride by the Sea events happening in Clonakilty and Youghal. I attended the launch last week and I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and entertainment in Clonakilty on 27 July.

In August, the Youghal Medieval Festival returns for its thirteenth run. Cork County Council is especially delighted to host this year’s event, as title holders of Chambers Ireland Festival of the Year 2018.
We love a good festival in Cork. Whether its food, music, arts, heritage or history there is something for everyone this summer. My message to you is to go explore them, and above all, enjoy them.