As an unworthy blow-in, wedged despite my indignant howls settled in Cork for years now, I feel that I have the right balance between gleeful detachment and misty-eyed grá to adequately analyse this most defiant of counties. It’s full of contrary chin-jutters sprouting arrogant balderdash, endearingly patriotic about a Republic that doesn’t exist, and with accents reminiscent of tightly-wound clockwork grenades - Corkonians are a glorious breed. So don’t you want to glimpse them in their natural habitat - a genuinely eclectic arts and music festival in one of the most beautiful settings in the country? ‘Course you do. You’d be mad not to. Cork x Southwest returns bigger and better this July 31st in Skibbereen. From humble beginnings back in 2007, when, according to the organisers, the entire shebang was conducted “out of the back of a truck”, the festival has blossomed into a one-day extravaganza of music, art, … There’s more →