Bobstock Music Festival Returns For 2nd Year In A Row On July 6th

When and where is it on?

Bobstock takes place on July 6^th 2019 in the yard of Cotter’s bar on the beautiful island of Cape Clear, Co. Cork.

How many years has it been going?

This is the fourth year Bobstock has taken place and the second in a row after a hiatus of 16 years. The original Bobstock took place in 2001 and it was organised by the then owner of Cotter’s bar, Mr Bob Carter. It was run in aid of the Chernobyl Orphans fund and included John Spillane, Rónán Ó’Snodaigh, Hank Wedel and others. Bobstock 2 happened in 2002 but stopped after Bob sold the pub to the current owners Mary and Ciaran O’Driscoll.

It was revived in 2018 by Mary after she asked me (John Phelan) to reform an old group of friends to play a gig on Cape on July 7^th 2018. When I suggested we pass a bucket for The Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF) as that would have been my mother in law’s birthday who sadly passed away in 2015 from that horrible disease, Bobstock was reborn.

What was the inspiration to start it?

The original inspiration to start Bobstock by Bob was to have another busy weekend added to the calendar in a place that relies heavily on tourism. There is usually an increase of visitors on the bank holiday weekends and events such as the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival in September so an event such as the original Bobstock would hopefully bring added business to the island. Bob is also a huge music fan and wanted to stage something special! We are continuing in that vein!

What exciting things can people look forward to?

We have a great line-up of acts this year. Ollie Cole from the legendary band Turn will once again play at Bobstock. He is in the process of finishing his third solo album so we hope to hear some new material. Malojian will play a solo show this year hot on the heels of a near sell-out tour of Ireland and the UK in support to the brilliant Jason Lytle of the world famous act Grandaddy.

This will be his first visit to Cape Clear so I know he is excited to see the sights. The Man Whom (Ian Doyle) will also play. His new album ‘The Dancer from the Dance’ has received critical acclaim and has been the album of the week recently on RTE and local radio in Ireland. We welcome back Huts on Stilts, FallAway House, The Mule Skinner boys and local acts Danny Stewart and Leah O’Donoghue as well as a trad set from local musicians. Lastly we will have a debut gig from the new band ‘One Morning in August’.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1130030642631192578

What opportunities are on offer for those attending?

For anyone not familiar with Cape Clear, it is the most southerly inhabited part of Ireland and it’s on the Wild Atlantic Way in Co. Cork. To reach the island passenger ferries leave from Baltimore and Schull in West Cork.

There are beautiful walks and amazing scenery to be seen as well as world-class bird watching and wildlife on offer. The ferry offers trips out to the world famous Fastnet Lighthouse which is a really amazing way to see the island and lighthouse up close. There are very frequent whale sightings from these ferry trips and the crew are always on the lookout for any wildlife to make the trips even more memorable!

https://www.capeclearferries.com/

Cape Clear has restaurants in Cotter’s Bar and An Siopa Beag. The latter also is the local shop and is very well stocked.

Please see http://www.capeclearisland.ie/index for more information.

What tips would you give to people attending to get the most out of it?

All accommodation must be pre-booked as there is limited accommodation available. Please see the link below for a list and contact them directly.

http://www.capeclearisland.ie/Accommodation

The ferry should be booked in advance to avoid disappointment!

How can people book tickets / when does it usually sell out?

This event is free but we are looking for a suggested donation of €10 towards the OCF. All of the bands, the sound engineer, the people setting up the stage etc are giving their time for free. Mary and Ciaran O’Driscoll are sponsoring the event and we are very grateful for all their help!

If the weather is bad on the day we will run the event indoors in Ciaran Danny Mike’s pub.

More information and up to date news can be found on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/bobstock4capeclear

And on twitter

@BobstockCapeCl

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