The West Cork Literary Festival, due to take place from July 10th to 17th, has been cancelled.
Organisers had been monitoring the Covid-19 situation closely before making the decision.
It now seems likely that restrictions on gatherings will remain for the foreseeable future.
In a statement organisers said: 'The safety of artists, audiences, and staff, is the most important priority.
'Months of work has gone into creating the 2020 programme. The full list of writers who were due to appear at the 2020 Festival will be published on the West Cork Literary Festival website'.
The festival says that they understand how disappointing this cancellation will be for audience members and they are looking into ways in which they can present online options. More details will be released in the coming weeks.
The West Cork Literary Festival would like to thank the Arts Council of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Creative Europe, Cork County Council, supporters, staff, and volunteers, all of whom will work to ensure that the Festival will bring a roster of Irish and International writers to Bantry for a celebration of the written word next year, and into the future.
