Festival to celebrate arts and creativity
Daniel O'Neill
Fun activities and workshops suitable for all ages have been promised at this year’s highly anticipated Bealtaine Festival.
The festival features several free events taking place in libraries across the county like arts and crafts, poetry, storytelling, Japanese painting workshops and a course in drawing, painting and mindfulness. The festival takes place every May and aims to celebrate arts and creativity as we age.
Bealtaine Festival was launched this week by Cork County Council. Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Joe Carroll said: “Bealtaine is the perfect time to try something new or to revisit a lost skill. Creativity benefits us all regardless of what age we are.
“The activities take place in our fantastic libraries, which continue to be a great, free resource for every member of our community.”
The event kicks off on Poetry Day on 1 May and features Poetry Friends in Macroom Library from 3-4pm. Guest poets Fiona Smith and Bernadette Gallagher will read a selection of their work before moving on to the open mic segment where participants can share their own poetic work.
Throughout May artist Julie Forrester will also host free creative drop-in sessions at the library.
Some of the most exciting events featured at the festival are artist In Seun Kim’s Japanese painting workshops in Youghal Library that will last for four weeks beginning on the 13 May and artist Amanda Wright’s free arts and crafts workshop in Millstreet Library on the 16 May at 11am.
Artist Sinéad Cullen will also lead a 4-week course in drawing, painting and mindfulness in Castletownbere Library and Terri Ryan will host a two-part workshop for beginner story tellers taking place in Bandon, Cobh, Kinsale, Midleton, Mitchelstown, Skibbereen and Youghal.
The festival will also feature a unique exhibition showcasing stories from the Blackwater Catchment throughout May at Fermoy.
The Creative Communities project brings together elders from Cluain Dara day care centre and students from the neighbouring Coláiste an Chraoibhín to share stories and questions about what it means to live in the catchment of the River Blackwater.