West Cork Music

06/07/2026

What a journey! Ten magical days of the 2026 West Cork Chamber Music Festival came to a spectacular close last night with a memorable Finale at Bantry House.

A heartfelt thank you to all our festival friends, artists, funders, volunteers, partners, and dedicated staff. Your passion, generosity, and support are what makes the festival so special.

Save the dates: 25 June – 4 July 2027. We can't wait to welcome you back to West Cork for another unforgettable festival.

Music: Pyramid Song by Radiohead, performed by the Attacca Quartet during an encore at the last Coffee Concert.

06/07/2026

Ten magical days of the 2026 West Cork Chamber Music Festival concluded last night with a memorable Finale in Bantry House.

Here's a selection of photos from the final day of this year's Festival.

📷Karlis Dzjamko Photography



The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Cork County Council Pure Cork Fáilte Ireland Wild Atlantic Way RTÉ lyric fm The National String Quartet Foundation

05/07/2026

Can you believe we're on the final day of the 2026 West Cork Chamber Music Festival?

There are still a few tickets available for today's concerts, including the special Finale this evening in Bantry House. You can book online at www.westcorkmusic.ie/cmfprogramme or ring +353 (0) 27 52788

Here's a selection of Karlis Dzjamko Photography's images from yesterday's concerts, rehearsals and everything in between!

Lotte Betts-Dean New Dublin Voices Cork County Council Pure Cork The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Fáilte Ireland Wild Atlantic Way I Love Bantry

05/07/2026

Join us for the final day of the Festival:

☕ 11am Coffee Concert - St Brendan's Church
Attacca Quartet
From Haydn to Ravel - Haydn's Quartet in G & Ravel's Quartet in F www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/52-coffee-concert/

🎵 12.30pm Crespo Lunchtime Series - Marino Church
Mairéad Hickey
Works by Telemann
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/53-crespo-lunchtime-series/

🎶 2pm Young Musicians Platform - St Brendan's Church
IBO Young Artists, Olympia Quartet, Meliora Quartet, Tara Quartet & Talland Quartet
Works by Falconieri, Telemann, Janáček, Borodin, Bartók & Vasks
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/54-young-musicians-platform/

🎼 7.30pm Finale - Bantry House
Lotte Betts-Dean, Sonoro Quartet, Gerard Spronk, Delta Piano Trio, Attacca Quartet
Works by Dennehy, Bartók, Auerbach and Mendelssohn
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/55-finale/

Book at the links above, by ringing +353 (0) 27 52788 or by calling in to the office at 13 Glengarriff Road, Bantry.
Tickets also available at the door.

📷 Karlis Dzjamko Photography

04/07/2026

🕯️The Magdalene Songs return to the festival tonight under the candlelit chandelier in the Bantry House Library🕯️
🗓️ 4th July
🕧 22:00
📍 Bantry House
🎟️ Get your tickets at our Bantry Office, by phone at (+353) 27 52788, or online at
https://www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/51-candlelit-late-night/

The Magdalene Songs is an ongoing project initiated by Deirdre Brenner to honour the women so gravely mistreated by church and state in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries by giving voice to their experience. These songs strive to amplify the experience of the women and girls who were sent to the Laundries and encourage further dialogue about responses to historic human rights abuses in Ireland and elsewhere. This is the second edition of the Magdalene songs featured in the Festival featuring a new set of songs including a world premiere by Deirdre McKay. The texts recall enforced slavery, darkness, priestly abuse, loss of family and the impossibility of forgetting. A reviewer of the first edition of this ongoing project wrote: As an artistic project that aimed to give a voice to the voiceless, I’m not sure I can ever recall hearing anything as powerful as this in an Irish context.

I crafted you amid sorrows New Magdalene Songs The Magdalene Songs is an ongoing project initiated by Deirdre Brenner to honour the women so gravely mistreated by church and state in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries by giving voice to their experience. These songs strive to amplify the experience of ...

04/07/2026

Tonight’s late-night candlelit concert features Lotte Betts-Dean and Deirdre Brenner performing The Magdalene Songs.

The piece seeks to amplify the voices and lived experiences of women and girls who were sent to the Magdalene Laundries, encouraging continued reflection and dialogue around responses to historic human rights abuses in Ireland and beyond.

This marks the second edition of The Magdalene Songs presented at the Festival, featuring a newly composed set of songs, including a world premiere by Deirdre McKay.

04/07/2026

🙏 to Karlis Dzjamko Photography for capturing the spirit of this year's WCCMF so well.

Here's a selection of images from Day 8 🎻🎹🪉🎼



Lotte Betts-Dean Cork County Council Pure Cork The National String Quartet Foundation Fáilte Ireland Wild Atlantic Way Visit Bantry I Love Bantry The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

04/07/2026

Missed our live concerts from West Cork Chamber Music Festival? Listen on demand, any time at rte.ie/lyricfm 🎻

And tune in all this weekend from 7pm for more live chamber music from the festival, as Paul Herriott presents on RTÉ lyric Live.

These concerts are being broadcast across the Broadcasting Union - EBU as part of the Euroradio Premium Concert Series so we are delighted to welcome our listeners from many different countries! ❤️

Photo: Bantry House | Credit Karlis Dzjamko

04/07/2026

Join us for Day 9 of the Festival:

☕ 11am Coffee Concert - St Brendan's Church
Mairéad Hickey & Jérémie Moreau
Schubert's Sonata in A & Fantasy in C
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/46-coffee-concert/

🎵 12.30pm Crespo Lunchtime Series - Marino Church
Attacca Quartet
Nonstop set featuring the Attacca Quartet's curated collection.
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/47-crespo-lunchtime-series/

🗣 4pm Crespo Series - St Brendan's Church
New Dublin Voices, Lina Andonovska, Bernie Sherlock
Works by Ian Wilson and Luigi Nono
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/49-crespo-series/

🎼 7.30pm Main Evening - St Brendan's Church
Lotte Betts-Dean, Sonoro Quartet, Mona Verhas, Rick Stotijn, Deirdre Brenner, Concerto 1700, Ana Vieira Leite
Works by Muhly, van der Aa and Handel
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/50-main-evening-concert/

🕯 10.30pm Candlelit Late Night - Bantry House
Lotte Betts-Dean, Deirdre Brenner
More Magdalene Songs - World Premiere
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/51-candlelit-late-night/

Book at the links above, by ringing +353 (0) 27 52788 or by calling in to the office at 13 Glengarriff Road, Bantry.

Tickets also available at the door.
📷 Karlis Dzjamko Photography

04/07/2026

Today the Fringe travelled to Castletownbere to the Sarah Walker Gallery . IBO Young Artists played a gorgeous repertoire to yet another appreciative audience.

Meanwhile in Bantry Market, Meliora Quartet, Olympia Quartet, Tara Quartet and Talland Quartet kept everyone entertained throughout the day.

🙏 to everyone who has attended these concerts, to those who have welcomed our musicians to their venues, to the talented young performers and of course, to the fabulous Maria Sheil who has taken care of the Fringe concerts all week.