Where there’a a will there’s a way.

A small but mighty creative hub in Bantry is quietly becoming one of West Cork’s most inspiring spaces — and it all started with one graphic designer eating her lunch in a car park.

Megan Clancy, a freelance designer who grew up in West Cork’s creative community, first experienced the magic of a shared studio while living in Berlin, where artists, illustrators and designers worked side by side in an open, collaborative environment. When she returned home, she tried a traditional co-working space — but found it didn’t quite work for paint-splattered projects or textile-heavy ideas.

So she created her own solution.

Now approaching its first birthday, Corecreative has grown into a cornerstone of Bantry’s artistic scene. The affordable co-working studio welcomes creatives working across all mediums, offering flexible drop-in desks and space to properly spread out — whether that means sketchbooks, sewing machines or screens.

Four full-time artists are currently based upstairs, producing work in art, photography, filmmaking, natural balm making and 3D printing.

During the week, Megan and Ren share the space while running a design studio and print shop, and at weekends the ground floor and covered outdoor workshop — known as The Secret Garden — are rented at reasonable rates to artists, makers and musicians hosting their own events.

 

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In just a year, Corecreative has welcomed 43 members, staged eight exhibitions, hosted a pop-up craft shop, music nights, film screenings and a wide range of workshops.

“Upcoming events include art journaling, natural perfume making, a pop-up tattoo day, spoken word performances and an evening of local music titled KIN at Corecreative.” Megan told us.

“For St Patrick’s Day, members are leading a community art project called the ‘St Patrick’s Community Cloak’, inviting locals to create painted fabric squares that will be stitched together and showcased in the parade.”

More info on becoming a member can be found here.