A SPECIAL concert series featuring Cormac Begley and Lisa Hannigan will be added highlights of this year’s Crosstown Drift on Garinish Island, taking place later this month.
Located in Glengarriff Bay, Garinish Island, or Illnacullin as it also known, is one of the most magical places in Ireland and is one of the many historical properties managed by the Office of Public Works. Following last year’s inaugural event, Crosstown Drift returns to the island off Glengarriff with an even bigger mix of music, poetry, and literature, taking place over the weekend from Friday September 20th to Sunday September 22nd.
There will include free-to-attend walking tours as well as seated events with writers, poets, musicians, and cultural creatives.
This year events also include an added Evening Concert Series with Cormac Begley on Saturday September 21st and Lisa Hannigan performing on Sunday September 22nd. Tickets for the two evening concerts have gone on sale from eventbrite.ie.
Lisa Hannigan performs on Garinish on the Sunday evening of Crosstown Drift.
The talks and discussions will happen under the canopy tent beside The Casita Lawn on Garinish’s Italian Garden, with food, history, crime writing, fiction, poetry and general chats taking place. Meanwhile the walking tours will pass the Italian Garden, the Grecian Temple, the Martello Tower, and the Bryce House with music, poetry and fiction being on the agenda.
Crosstown Drift is run by Cork cultural creative company The Good Room. It has taken place in Cork city since 2016 as part of Cork Midsummer Festival.
Over the years it has gathered some of Ireland’s finest writers, poets and musicians to perform in unusual and interesting locations in and around Cork city. This is the second sortie west to Garinish.
The event starts on Friday September 20th at 11am when Glyn Sheratt, head gardener on the island, will take visitors on a walk around the horticultural highlights of Garinish, bringing its history, wildlife and plants to life. This will be followed by an introduction to traditional willow basket making with Rosemary Kavanagh of Wild Rose Basketry at 12.30pm.
The music walking tour from 1.30pm on Friday afternoon will meander around the island with listeners hearing everything from uilleann pipes to dulcimer, fiddles, steel guitar and sean nós singing from David Murphy, Eoin Stan O’Sullivan, Sorcha De Roiste, and Brian Leach.
On Saturday afternoon, the Irish Examiner’s Michael Moynihan will be talking to UCC’s Dr. John Borgonovo and Dr Donal O’Drisceoil about Cork University press’ newest release, of which they are co-authors Atlas of the Civil War.
Following this, food writer Joe McNamee talks to Aishling Moore of Cork City’s renowned Goldie seafood restaurant and legendary fish smoker Sally Barnes for a discussion on sustainability in food from our oceans.
Later in the afternoon, poets Victoria Kennefick, Julie Goo, Paul Casey, and Cormac Lally perform on the new Poetry Walk, with readings at the Italian Garden, the Grecian Temple, the Martello Tower, and the Bryce House.
The famed pavillion on the island will be one of the many sights visitors can enjoy. (Photo: Shutterstock)On Saturday evening is the concert by legendary Kerry concertina player Cormac Begley. Guests are invited to hop aboard one of the Harbour Queen’s ferries fleet at Glengariff Pier at 6pm and cruise out past the seals to the Island for this special concert in our stretch tent.
On Sunday September 21st at 11.30am writer Toner Quinn chats about his latest book with podcaster and journalist Eoghan O’Sullivan, who hails from Rosscarbery. Following this, arts writer Marjorie Brennan chats to crime authors Michelle Dunne, Amy Jordan, and Michelle Teahan about the creative process and their inspirations with some readings from their work.
Later on Sunday afternoon fiction writers Sínead Gleeson, Aoife Barry, Sarah Harte, and Danny Denton will read at locations around the island, with extracts from their most recent novels, essays, and writings, before chatting to Eoghan in the tent on the lawn.
Baltimore-based singer songwriter Lisa Hannigan will then perform a special concert on Sunday evening from 6pm.
Tickets for Lisa’s concert and the Cormac Begley concert at €30 available from eventbrite.ie. Tickets include a return voyage to the island on Harbour Queen Ferries from the Pier in Glengarriff.
