5 events for artsy, bookish folks to check out during Skibbereen Arts Fest
Brought to you by Inanna Rare Books.
Honestly, add it to your weekend plans.
The Skibbereen Arts Festival 2025 is gearing up to be an absolute belter this year, with tons of fun in store for culture vultures and curious day trippers alike from July 25th until August 3rd.
While the whole town will be buzzing (there’s a Block Party and a variety of gigs and shows planned) we’ve got our eyes firmly fixed on the magical Inanna Bookshops for some of the most fascinating happenings.
Take some time out and slip inside some of the most atmospheric venues in town for this little lot:
The Illustrated Man
Where: The Still Mill, Distillery Lane, Skibbereen
When: Now until September 20th, 2025. Open daily from 9.30am – 5pm (FREE)
The Illustrated Man : A Pulp Fiction Sales Exhibition of Vintage Paperbacks features a selection of cover art from the 1940s to the 1970s from the collection of the late composer and music artist Michael Reinmuller (aka MCR).
Unfurling Heavenbound
Where: The Still Mill, Distillery Lane, Skibbereen
When: Now until September 20th, 2025 Open daily from 9.30am – 5pm (FREE)
Unfurling Heavenbound is an exhibition of the otherworldly art of Canadian contemporary artist Brooke Palmer. Another installation by Palmer can be seen at The Masonic Hall on Mardyke Street, Skibbereen.
In Conversation With: Theo Dorgan
Where: Inanna Rare Books, Masonic Hall, Skibbereen
When: July 31st, 2025. Tickets: €10 here.
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.
Among his translations are three volumes from the French of Syrian poet, Maram al Masri and a translation into Irish of Gypsy Ballads by Federico García Lorca.
The evening at Inanna Rare Books will be hosted by Caragh Bell.
Beckett and the Wake
Where: Inanna Rare Books, Masonic Hall, Skibbereen
When: 3pm, August 3rd, 2025. Tickets: €10 here.
Legendary photographer John Minihan takes us on a time-travelling journey to his beginnings and his fateful meeting with Samuel Beckett and other writers and artists.
Minihan will also be exhibiting a collection of rare items and photos at The Still Mill throughout the summer until September.
Questioning Ireland
Where: Inanna Rare Books, Masonic Hall, Skibbereen
When: 7pm, August 1st, 2025, Tickets: €10 here
Acclaimed Cork-based writer Thomas McCarthy will read from his latest book of essays, Questioning Ireland at the Inanna Rare Books bookshop at the Masonic Hall on August 1st.
McCarthy worked for many years at Cork City Libraries and has won many awards for his poetry, including The Patrick Kavanagh Award, the Alice Hunt Bartlett Prize, the O’Shaughnessy Prize and the Ireland Funds Annual Literary Award.
His first collection, The First Convention, was published by The Dolmen Press, Dublin, in 1978 and his tenth collection, Prophecy, was published by Carcanet Press in 2019. Thomas’ new collection Plenitude was published by Carcanet in March.
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Spin to Skib’
So, whether you’re a bookworm, a culture vulture, or just looking for a fantastic reason to head West, Skibbereen is the place to be, and Inanna Rare Books is your essential stop.
For the full Skibbereen Arts Festival programme for 2025, visit skibbereenartsfestival.com.
