What's On during May in West Cork

It promises to be another busy May in West Cork with a number of exciting events planned for the region to interest visitors of all ages.  So if you are planning on sampling any of these following exciting festivals and must do things to do in West Cork during the month of May then why not base yourself in Skibbereen, the hub of West Cork.  Located in the heart of Skibbereen, the West Cork Hotel offers visitors the ideal base from which to explore the beauty of the Rebel County while also experiencing these wonderful and unique festivals. The first of these The Ballydehob Jazz Festival takes place within the picturesque village of Ballydehob between the 3rd & 6th of May. A boutique music festival that supports talented jazz musicians from Ireland and beyond, headline acts are carefully selected to appeal to those who enjoy current trends and those who love dance floor standards and world-class artists play in the Community Hall.  Local and national artists perform in the popular Pub Trail along the main street. Families take in the scenery whilst enjoying the Saturday and Sunday afternoon open air stage and market where the music is lively and may even include street performers and dancers. Intimate concerts are hosted in cafes, churches and schools where one can enjoy performances in a warm, relaxed environment. Each year the festival hosts a special Community Care concert for the benefit of older members of the community. This popular event takes place on Saturday morning, includes tea and sandwiches, and is also open to the public at large. Exciting fringe events are a growing feature. Building on this success 2013 will enjoy more youth gigs, more workshops and the introduction of visual art exhibitions and performances in poetry and dance. Later in the month, Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival takes place between the 22nd & 26th which offers visitors a unique take on the short film festival with no dedicated cinema! Visitors will experience Distributed Cinema, Schull's very own intranet network dedicated to short film. From a horse box (with HD streaming) to a micro cinema (with eye-piece), several marquees (with projector & screen) to a cycling cinema (6 bikes / 12 legs), from a bookshop (HD streaming) to the village hall (HD Projection) and to numerous local pubs and restaurants, Schull's network connects, through Ethernet cable and wireless links, to its own short film archive on a dedicated server. Over 4 days, the festival screens all of its competition films throughout the village of Schull and the 9 dedicated intranet Wi-Fi hotspots, enable access to 500+ submission films and interviews from its archive. These are available free from within the network of Schull to anyone with a laptop, an iPad, or a smart phone or at any of the connected venues. The fringe events offer activities for all the family such as puppet shows to children's cinema, storytelling, drama workshops, the infamous Horror Horse-Box, Sunday Market, BBQ, live music and much more. To cap off the month there is the Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival, taking place in the picturesque fishing village of Baltimore and located just 15 minutes drive from us at the West Cork Hotel. Happening between the 24th & 26th this festival celebrates traditional wooden built boats including the working boats of Roaringwater Bay and is a great weekend of racing and events that is run in conjunction with the Baltimore Seafood Festival.