West Cork Music has submitted a planning application for a new venue and education hub in Bantry.
West Cork Music currently runs three festivals in the town – West Cork Chamber Music Festival, West Cork Literary Festival and Masters of Tradition – and the new building would provide concerts, lessons, workshops and masterclasses across disciplines for musicians, writers and performers of all ages and abilities. It has been designed by McCullough Mulvin Architects of Dublin.
The building would be located on Bridge Street in Bantry, adjacent to Bantry Library, on the site currently occupied by Biggs’ Wholesalers.
The proposed concert hall and education hub will have a total area of 1,970 sq m, comprising a 250-seat auditorium and dedicated education and rehearsal spaces, along with a café and public plaza.
West Cork Music says it has already raised almost €1m towards the construction of the venue.
Commenting on the application, Francis Humphrys, founder, CEO and artistic director of West Cork Music, said:
West Cork is an extraordinarily creative region, but it has been under-served in terms of permanent arts infrastructure. Our venue and education hub – thirty years in the making – will bring world-class performances to West Cork year round, develop local talent, and make Bantry an even better place to live and visit. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has helped us reach this point.
A decision on the plans is expected from Cork County Council on 11 June.
A recent study of the economic impact of the festivals, carried out by Professor Eleanor Doyle of Cork University Business School at UCC, found that the events generated €7.67 million for Bantry local economy last year. According to the study, 15,888 tickets were sold and more than 5,570 people attended. It found that 17% of visitors were from overseas and 53% were from outside the Bantry region.
Exterior of the West Cork Music building. (Image: McCullough Mulvin Architects)
The upcoming West Cork Chamber Music Festival takes place from 26 June to 5 July and features Calidore Quartet, Attacca Quartet, NOVO Quartet, Sonoro Quartet, Diana Tischenko, Mairéad Hickey, Gerard Spronk, Mona Verhas, Lotte Betts-Dean and more. The West Cork Literary Festival follows from 10 to 17 July and Masters of Tradition takes place from 19 to 23 August.
For further details, visit www.westcorkmusic.ie and www.bantrymusiccentre.ie.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source journalofmusic.com ’
