For all the MOST UP TO DATE festival programme news including additional events visit:
www.musicalive.ie/west-cork-feel-good-festival-2024-news-updates or www.facebook.com/49NorthStreet
West Cork Feel Good Festival 2024
The West Cork Feel Good Festival, organised by 49 North Street/HSE and a broad range of community partners will take place once again in October. Dozens of workshops, sessions, film screenings, concerts, performances, peer support spaces will take place over the month long festival. These will include music, storytelling, open mic, yoga, Zumba, choirs, a grief circle and scarecrow building!
Now in its 12th incarnation, the festival connects more locations than ever from Bandon to Bere Island via Bantry, Ballineen, Skibbereen and Clonakilty. The theme of Connection is at the heart of the festival, and especially in the mental health sense of the word. Don't we all crave connection? With ourselves, nature, our relations and friends, our bodies and souls and spiritual sides.
As highlighted recently by the World Health Organisation, engagement with creativity and the arts has been shown to help us connect and is so beneficial to our mental health and well-being. Our festival is all about fostering these connections, in towns and villages throughout west Cork. Each event is important, because “mental health is everyone’s business.”
Some new additions to our programme, that you can read about in the following pages include Together at the Hall, a weekend of family friendly free events at Atkins Hall in Dunmanway, Live Life & Sing, a Choirs gathering and Concert in Bantry, Party Piece, a community music programme in collaboration with Creative Ireland, the premier of the Heartbeats of Hope film, a Wellness Day in collaboration with Leap Scarecrow festival, The Jolly Jam Comedy night at DeBarra’s Folk Club and concerts by some of Ireland’s many gifted musicians at Levis Corner House and Connolly’s of Leap.
We also have a growing number of Irish language themed events, so join us in using whatever Irish you have, throughout the month of October. The majority of events are free, except for some of the evening concerts
Some other (free) events/workshops need to be booked also; see the descriptions in the following pages for details on all.
We hope you can join us at an event this year – Bígí linn!
If you would like to help organise a wellbeing event in your area for 2025, please contact barbara@musicalive.ie
Here is the line up for the Bank Holiday weekend and remaining days of October
West Cork Feel Good Festival Friday 25 October
10am-7pm Wellness day in Leap: Take-Pause Leap village Hall.
See times for each activity and contacts details for booking on www.leapscarecrowfestival.com. Donations to support the development of Leap’s playground are welcomed.
10am-1pm Gach Duine- Peer Support Group for Disabled People, Carers, Family & Close Friends Skibbereen Library, North Street, Skibbereen This week, we will be making Halloween crafts.
10am-1pm Clon Fir Men’s group Clonakilty Community Resource Centre
11am – 1pm Studio 49 open days 49 North Street. Skibbereen
11am – 12.00pm Chair Yoga with Lisa Kingston Dunmanway FRC Kilbarry Rd, Booking essential. Contact Lisa Kingston: 087 781 3434
2-4pm Ealaíon - Art Group with Rebecca Keyser 49 North Street
Please contact Rebecca by email: bexykeyser@gmail.com if you would like to book a place.
2.30-3.45pm Mind your Language & attract Prosperity with Music & Language teacher Alison Boardman Skibbereen Library, North Street, Skibbereen
4-5 pmUkulele Family with Music & Language teacher Alison Boardman (child's age 9+)Skibbereen Library, North Street, Skibbereen
4pm Open Door Music Session Harbour Bar, Leap
Open music session musicians and dancers all welcome! Bígí linn!
7:15-9:30pm Irish Mythology in photography & Musical evening in Leap
Leap village hall and Church of Ireland. See www.leapscarecrowfestival.com
7.30-9.30pm Social Evening with Board Games Bridge St Community Cafe, Bantry (4th Friday of every month)
9pm -11pm Singing and Story Telling Session Greyhound Bar, P47 HA21(Last Friday of every month) Contact:Tommy Collins 086 1225867
West Cork Feel Good Festival Saturday 26 October
10 am -12pmArt Therapy for Wellbeing and Joy
Bridge St Community Cafe, Bantry Open to 12 people.
Contact hello@anyaspark.com or 083 022 4996.
8pm Susan O’Neill in concert Connolly’s of Leap
West Cork Feel Good Festival Sunday 27 October
2-6pm Skibbereen Boardgames Group 49 North Street, Skibbereen
Fortnightly sessions where attendees play board games (with tea & coffee). Minors must be accompanied, by an adult.
Run by experienced players who bring their own modern games such as Settlers of Catan, Wingspan and Cascadia. Rules are explained on the day. All welcome, free.
Email : skibboardgames@gmail.com
5pm Live Music with In between the Storms Hacketts Bar Schull
West Cork Feel Good Festival Monday 28 October
12 -1.30pm In Stitches 49 North St Skibbereen AnnMarie at 089 6168725
3-5 pm Forest Bathing in Rosscarbery Join Avril Allshire-Howe for a two hour Forest Bathing Experience on the family farm near Rosscarbery, Limited numbers so booking essential call 087 9140811 for details and directions.
5-7pm Open Door Music Session Connolly’s of Leap, Main St Leap
Join musicians and guests from 49 North St for an afternoon of musical busking around Leap. At 5pm, we will gather for an open session of all musical styles. family friendly event
West Cork Feel Good Festival Tuesday 29 October
11am-12pm Chair Yoga with Joan Clonakilty Community Resource Centre
11.00am Happy Feet Walking Group Celtic Ross Hotel
(Last Tuesday of every Month)
Community Walk: The walks are open to all members of the community and are free of charge with light refreshments after.
Contact: Cathy 086 8294511
6-7pm Experience Inner Unity Through Guided Body Meditation
Bridge St Community Café Bantry
West Cork Feel Good Festival Wednesday 30 October
11am-12:30pm Flourish from within: How Gut Health Shapes Emotional Well-being.The Caha Centre Family Resource Centre, Adrigole, Enquiries to The Caha Centre 027-60909
11am-1pm Siúlóid@CCRC
Clonakilty Community Resource Centre, 21 Western Road, P85 RW35
11am to 1pm Memory Café Dunmanway FRC, Kilbarry Rd, P47EC43
This café provides a warm and welcoming place for people to meet others also living with dementia/memory loss, their friends & family as well as health & social care professionals. Contact Debbie at DFRC: 023 8856818
12-1.30pm
Autumn & Winter Gardening Tips and Tricks.
49 North St
Join horticulturist Peter Dunican for an informative discussion on the autumn garden and handy tips, tricks & tasks for the winter months.
3:30-5:30pm Happiness Ensemble 49 North Street, Skibbereen
All sorts of instruments are available at 49 North Street or bring your own, use your voice, clap your hands. A gently facilitated session, with loving spoonfuls of improvisation, rhythm and of course happiness.
West Cork Feel Good Festival Thursday 31 October
11am-1pm Trad and tunes with Andrew Rawlings and Gerry Touhy
49 North Street, Skibbereen
2 - 3pm
‘Fite Fuaite pop up Gaeltacht’
49 North Street
You do not need to be able to speak Irish to attend this group, as the emphasis is on informal learning & so all from absolute beginners to fluent speakers are welcome. The facilitator/fear an tí is the multi-talented artist and poet Pól O Colmáin, who has many years of experience, teaching and re-introducing people to the beauty and wonder inherent in the Irish language.
5.30-7pm Aperture 49 Photography Group 49 North Street, Skibbereen
Halloween Celebration
Club Chléire, Cape Clear
Beidh imeachtaí agus céiliúradh Oíche Shamhna Club Chléire
Celebration for Halloween on the island & all welcome
Eolas: ruairiodonnabhainopt@gmail.com 086 8930410