Location: The Heritage Centre

Tickets €25 including booking fee

Open to all. Participants are asked to bring and read a poem by another poet that sticks in their memory. We will ask why it is memorable, and draw on this to ask how to use and create memory when writing a poem.

Born in Cork, Theo Dorgan has just published his second novel, CAMARADE, with Mercier Press. He is an award-winning poet, novelist, documentary screenwriter, translator, essayist and editor, with ten collections of poetry published; the most recent, ONCE WAS A BOY, received the accolade of One City, One Book 2024 in his native city.

Location: Bere Island Hotel

Admission is free but ticketed – reserve your spot today!

A wonderful opportunity for all ages to try a cúpla focal in a comfortable and supportive environment. Take time to have a morning coffee while having a chat, as Gaeilge, with fellow islanders and festival goers. This event is suitable for all levels of Irish. Tea and scones will be provided. Táimid ag tnúth go mór libh a fheiceáil ar an lá.

Location: Wild Atlantic Glamping

€30 including booking fee and materials

The pinhole workshop will explore the making of pinhole cameras, creating negative images and then producing a positive black and white photographic print. Some cameras will be available as well as the opportunity and details for participants to make their own cameras.

Location: The Drill Hall

Admission is free but ticketed – reserve yours today!

You are invited to a celebration of the poet John O Leary Join us for readings by Paula Meehan, Theo Dorgan, Annette Skade, and Paddy O’Conor

Location: The Drill Hall

€10 including booking fee

The Irish Times describe Amanda Coogan as ‘the leading practitioner of performance in the country’. Her work merges ritual, endurance, and cultural iconography into striking live actions. At Bere Island Arts Festival Coogan will present a durational performance that invites the unpredictable, where movement, silence, and chaos unfold in real time. Her practice centres on the live body as a site of meaning, resistance, and transformation.

Location: The Lecture Theatre

Tickets: €38 including booking fee

Icons, trailblazers, and legends of Irish music - Stockton's Wing, are embarking on a tour to launch their new live album 'Hometown'. Hitting every county on the island in 2024, they will be visiting venues in villages, towns, and cities in every corner of Ireland, from Dublin to Donegal, Antrim to Cork, Wexford to Clare. Stockton's Wing have a reputation for being one of Ireland's most exciting live bands, their shows are filled with energy and passion, as well as an incredible sense of fun.

Support act: Torcán