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Welcome in! Cork’s First Friday Lates initiative wraps up for the summer this week, with Charles Fort opening its doors after hours.
Spike Island is offering something different this weekend with its annual literary festival focused on crime writing.
And Sunday has your fill of markets and street festivals, with Sea Dog Market and Autumn Fest both on in the city.
If you know someone in Cork who might get use from the email, please send it their way!
• Follow Cork Circle on Instagram for updates during the week.
Discounts & Deals
Cork Circle Exclusive: 10% off Mahers Coffee products with our code CIRCLE10
Shop Mahers Coffee
✈️ Cork Airport Flight Deals Found This Week
Malaga - €95 (usually €185+)* | 📅 Tues Nov 17 - Sat Nov 21 | View fare →
Pisa - €64 (usually €111+)* | 📅 Fri Oct 2 - Mon Oct 5 | View fare →
*Usually = the average return price from Ryanair’s month-view fares.
Pop-Ups & Openings
🥙 Cairo2Cork (Now Open At 22 Douglas Street)
Soft-opened last Saturday, bringing the popular Egyptian food truck into its first permanent restaurant, with plans to start opening from 9am for breakfast this week.
What’s On This Week
Wednesday September 2nd
💃 Belly Dance Taster Class | Carraig Centre, Ballincollig | 7:15pm | 🎟 €5 |
Beginner-friendly belly dance taster covering basic movements and simple combinations to music.
🎸 Boyce Avenue | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €35.20 |
Acoustic pop-rock trio performs original songs and covers.
🎬 Circus Shorts Film Night | The Pav | 7pm | 🎟 Free |
Short film screening featuring circus production documentary with filmmaker conversation.
Thursday September 3
🎨 Cocktails, Canapés & Craic | The Fork & Wheel, Midleton | 6pm | 🎟 €50 | Cocktail-mixing and canapé-making workshop with refreshments and socialising.
🍷 Wine, Cheese & Charcuterie Tasting Evening at Fota Island Resort | Fota Island Resort | 7pm | 🎟 €65.33 |
Wine, cheese, and charcuterie tasting with artisan products
🎭 By the Light of the Silvery Moon | Cork Arts Theatre | 8pm | 🎟 €24, €20 concession |
Aindrias de Staic blends Irish folklore, storytelling and live fiddle with harp and percussion.
Friday September 4
🤝 September Business Lunch with Minister Jack Chambers T.D. | Commodore Hotel | 12:15pm | 🎟 €38.52 |
Business lunch with government minister, including networking and light meal.
🎺 First Friday at Elizabeth Fort | Elizabeth Fort | 5pm–8pm | 🎟 Free |
Evening opening with city views and live music from Barrack Street Band.
📚 Spike Island Literary Festival | Spike Island | Fri 4–Sun 6 Sep, times vary | 🎟 Prices vary |
Crime-writing festival with author panels, readings and publishing sessions inside Spike Island’s former prison.
🎵 The Lizberries - a tribute to The Cranberries | Wavelength Rooftop Bar | 7pm | 🎟 €19.26 |
Cranberries tribute band performing hits and acoustic renditions.
🎪 Circus Vegas | Centre Park Road | Fri 4–Sun 20 Sep, times vary | 🎟 From €10 |
American-style circus with Wheel of Death, Globe of Death and FMX riders.
📚 Friday Lates: Sara Baume - Opening Night | The Glucksman, T12 V1WH | 7pm | 🎟 Free |
Author discusses new book exploring friendship, community, nationality, and art.
🎨 Urban Kiz Workshop & Party with Jenna and Rovigo | The Tribe Dance Academy | 7pm | 🎟 Free |
Dance workshop exploring Urban Kiz technique followed by a social party.
🎭 The Love Hungry Farmer | Cork Opera House | 8pm | 🎟 €27–€33 |
Seamus O’Rourke performs John B. Keane’s comic story of a bachelor searching for a wife.
🎶 Freddie White | St Catherine's Cultural Centre, Kinsale | 8pm | 🎟 €33.15 |
Singer-songwriter performs original material and cover songs.
🍷 ART + WINE: 5 Artists × 5 Wines | Greywood Arts (Residency for Artists) | 8pm | 🎟 €25 |
Five local artists' works paired with wines, guided by a sommelier and artistic director.
Saturday September 5
🇮🇪 Gaeltacht Immersion Day | An Súgán, Béal Átha An Ghaorthaidh | 10am–3:30pm | 🎟 €40 |
Full-day Irish-language immersion with level-based sessions, lunch and guided cultural activity.
🎻 Spotlight I | Triskel Arts Centre | 1pm | 🎟 €18, €15 concession |
Three Irish chamber musicians perform works by Emma O’Halloran, Pēteris Vasks and Mozart.
🍽️ Food For Thought at East Cork - Latin Spirit, Cork Soul | Midleton Distillery Experience | 5:30pm | 🎟 Free |
High-energy conversation with leading figures in Cork's Central and South American food scene.
🎸 Absolute Eagles - A Tribute to The Eagles | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €27.50 |
Tribute band performs Eagles hits with five-part vocals and guitar harmonies.
🎸 Karen Underwood The Music of Nina Simone | St Catherine's Cultural Centre | 8pm | 🎟 €29.93 |
Tribute concert exploring the jazz and blues repertoire of Nina Simone.
🎭 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner | Cork Arts Theatre | 8pm | 🎟 €20, €15 concession |
John O’Mahony performs Coleridge’s gothic tale of guilt, redemption and the natural world.
🎸 Pilgrims - Paul Noonan & Brian Crosby | The White Horse | 8pm | 🎟 €32.47 |
Acoustic performance celebrating a debut album of folk and contemplative music.
🎧 After Dark //007 | Aye | 8pm–1am | 🎟 Free |
DJ night with Ashes, Patrick Lee and Leezur spanning techno, house and electro.
😂 Test Tube Babies - An Alternative Comedy Show | CTC Studio, Triskel Arts Centre | 8pm | 🎟 €15.46 |
Alternative comedy night with Jack Daly, bringing the Dublin BYOB show to Cork.
🎤 The Legend of Luke Kelly | Sea Church, Ballycotton | 8pm–10pm | 🎟 €25 |
Chris Kavanagh performs a Luke Kelly tribute show with live music and multimedia.
🍽️ An Evening of Jazz, Swing and Soul food | Paddy Mac's | 8:30pm | 🎟 €45 | Jazz, swing, and soul music performance for adults.
Sunday September 6
🏋️ The Female Health & Fitness Summit | SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh | 10am | 🎟 €108.23 |
Health and fitness summit featuring talks and sessions on female wellness and strength.
📷 Southern Brides Wedding Festival Expo | Clayton Hotel Silver Springs Cork | 11:30am | 🎟 €11.70 |
Wedding exhibitors showcase services including venues, catering, photography, and styling.
🎪 Autumn Fest | Douglas Street | Sun 6 Sep, 12pm–6pm | 🎟 Free |
Street festival with circus, live music, games, food, crafts and family activities.
📅 Recovery Walk 2026 | Grand Parade | 12pm | 🎟 Free |
Community walk celebrating recovery and supporting participants along shared journey.
🍽️ We Love The 80's Drag Brunch with Mockie Ah! | Clancy's Cork | 1pm | 🎟 €43.87 |
Drag brunch featuring performers in 1980s-themed costumes with bottomless drinks.
🇧🇷 Brazilian Day Cork | Marina Market | 10am–5pm | 🎟 Free |
Brazilian cultural day with live music, food, dance, performances and artisan stalls.
🛍️ Sea Dog Market | Mr. Bradley’s | 2pm–6pm | 🎟 Free |
Monthly market with stalls, tarot readings, tattoos and local makers.
🎧 Impala’s End of Summer: Last Call | Impala | 3pm–late | 🎟 Free |
Day party with DJs J.A.R.D.I.N, Patrick Lee, Leezur, Ashes and Jon Barry.
🎸 Deirdre Moynihan - soprano, and Alec O'Leary - guitar | Myross Church of Ireland, Union Hall, P81 T384 | 3pm | 🎟 €22.42 |
Soprano and guitarist perform songs from their album spanning Spanish and classical themes.
🎷 Soul Driven | Coughlan’s | 5pm | 🎟 Free |
Seven-piece band playing brass-infused soul, funk, jazz and blues.
📅 The Blindboy Podcast | The Island Drift on Garinish | Garnish Island | 5:30pm | 🎟 €49.41 |
Live Blindboy podcast in Garinish Island’s gardens, with return ferry from Glengarriff included.
Monday September 7
🎬 Folklore, Female Aging & The Hag | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €16 |
Talk exploring the Hag figure in folklore, film, and fiction with audience discussion.
Tuesday September 8
🎨 Age-Friendly AI Training Workshop at 50 Plus Show | Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork | 11am | 🎟 Free |
Workshop exploring artificial intelligence applications, benefits, and risks for older adults.
💼 TechBrew: Founder Stories – The Journey Behind the Business | National Software Centre | 12pm | 🎟 Free |
Founder talk series featuring entrepreneurial journeys and business-building experiences.
🎤 Freya Ridings | Cork Opera House | 8pm | 🎟 €47.65–€50.65 |
British singer-songwriter performs songs from Mother of Pearl alongside hits including Lost Without You.
Kids Events
🎈 Blackpool Tidy Village Group Family Fun Day | Blackpool Plaza | Sat 5 Sep, 11am–1pm | 🎟 Free |
Family day with face painting, crafts, flower potting, games, live music and food.
🎉 Cork Communities in Action | Bishop Lucey Park | Sat 5 Sep, 2pm–4pm | 🎟 Free |
Live music, performances, family activities and local organisations showcasing their work.
Planning Ahead
🎭 Culture Night | Cork City | Fri 18 Sep, times vary | 🎟 Free |
One-night programme of free music, performances, art, literature and workshops across Cork City.
🎩 Keith Barry: Unhinged – The Final Shows | The Everyman | Fri 16 Oct, 8pm; Sat 17 Oct, 2pm & 8pm | 🎟 €40.20 |
Keith Barry marks 25 years with a live show combining magic, hypnosis and brain hacking.
🎤 Gavin James | Cork Opera House | Fri 30 Oct, doors 7pm | 🎟 €40 |
Irish singer-songwriter performs with full band following release of fifth album Goldrush.
Old Cork
Restaurants on Washington Street in the late 1960s.
Image attribution: Anthony Barry Photographic Archive
