Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more.
🌇 Cork Sunset Today: 9:51pm
🌇 Last Wednesday: 9:45pm
Hello! The Cork Midsummer Festival well and truly owns this edition. It starts on Friday and features over 50 events across 10 days. Theatre, art, music, parades, food markets, kids’ events. Most of your interests should be covered!
We’ve also got the start of summer gigs in The Marquee with tickets still available for this week’s acts.
Favour to ask: if you know a Cork business or artist that more Cork people should know about, reply with their details, and we might feature them.
• Follow Cork Circle on Instagram for updates during the week.
Cork Summer Show Family Ticket
We’ve got a family ticket for Cork Summer Show at Cork Showgrounds, Curraheen, on Saturday 20th or Sunday 21st June. That includes 2 x Adult tickets, 2 x Teens or OAP tickets, and 4 x Under 16 tickets.
To be considered, just reply to this email with: Summer
For another entry, head to our Instagram post, follow @corkcircle.ie and @corksummershow, like the post, and tag who you’d bring.
If you enter on Instagram too, include your handle in reply to get the extra entry. Entries close next Monday, June 15th at 1pm and the selected reader will be named in next week’s newsletter.
Well done to Chris McCarthy, who was picked for last week’s Flyte Golf Simulator session.
Discounts & Deals
Cork Circle Exclusive: 10% off Mahers Coffee products with our code CIRCLE10
Shop Mahers Coffee
✈️ Cork Airport Flight Deals Found This Week
Carcassonne - €69 (usually €166+)* | 📅 Aug 18–25 | View fare
Fuerteventura - €119 (usually €247+)* | 📅 Oct 8–15 | View fare
*Usually = the average return price from Ryanair’s month-view fares.
Building Tools For Cork
A few weeks back, I mentioned building a regular events page as there are lots of weekly events we can’t fit into this email. Work is well underway on that, and I’ll keep you posted on a release date.
Gymcork.ie - Used any Cork gyms? Share your experience to help make our new Cork gym comparison site more accurate and useful.
What’s On This Week
Across the Week
🎭 Cork Midsummer Festival
Various Cork venues | Fri, June 12–Sun, June 21 | 🎟 Varies |
Arts festival with theatre, dance, exhibitions and site-responsive events across Cork.
🎭 The Homecoming of Joseph Grace | Event Room, Marina Market | 12–20 Jun, 9pm | 🎟 €20
New drama by Deirdre Kinahan about displacement, memory and refuge.
🎭 Pool (No Water) | The Metropole Hotel | 12–27 Jun, 7pm | 🎟 €22–€25
Mark Ravenhill play staged in an empty swimming pool beneath The Metropole Hotel.
Wednesday June 10th
🎤 K-Pop Forever Tribute | Live at the Marquee | 6pm | 🎟 From €55.35 |
Live tribute show celebrating K-pop's biggest hits with music, choreography and visuals.
🎸 Eric Bibb | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €38.50 |
Three-time Grammy nominee blending blues, folk, soul and Americana.
💘 Speed Dating Cork Ages 24–34 | Clancy’s Cork | 8pm | 🎟 €18.56
IRL speed dating night with 8+ mini dates, secure matches after and a 2-for-1 offer.
🎭 God of Carnage | Cork Arts Theatre | 8pm | 🎟 €18 |
Tony Award-winning comedy where a parents' dispute descends into chaos.
Thursday June 11th
🍷 White Wine Three Ways Fine Dining | The SouthGate | 6pm | 🎟 €45 |
Three white wines paired with a starter, main course and dessert.
🎬 The Song Cycle + Q&A | Triskel Arts Centre | 6pm | 🎟 €11 |
Irish documentary about Nick Kelly’s cycle journey to perform at Glastonbury with Q&A after.
🎻 Rennie Pearson & Luan | St Catherine's Cultural Centre, Kinsale | 7:30pm | 🎟 €27.79 |
Folk duo blending traditional tunes, storytelling and original songs from Ireland and beyond.
🤘 Cork Death Metal Night | Dali | 8pm–12am | 🎟 €10 |
Deserted headline a heavy lineup featuring Incarcerated (UK) and special guests.
Friday June 12th
🎭 The Secret Life of a Cleaner | Bradleys | 4pm & 5:30pm | 🎟 €5 |
Work-in-progress immersive theatre piece about migration, labour and artistic identity.
🎤 Taylor Fever | Cork Opera House | 7pm | 🎟 €31 |
Taylor Swift tribute show covering hits from across the Eras.
💃 Offspring (A Modern Frankenstein) | Firkin Crane | 12–13 June, 7pm | 🎟 €18–€20 |
Dance-theatre reimagining of Frankenstein by Emily Terndrup.
🎶 Hang Massive | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €35.20 |
Renowned handpan duo blend acoustic sounds with electronic music in a live show.
🎭 The Warm Up | Curtis Auditorium, MTU School of Music | 12–14 Jun, 7pm | 🎟 €18 |
Music theatre performance about actors preparing their voices before a show.
🎶 Folk Nights with Hermitage Green | St Catherine’s Cultural Centre, Kinsale | 8pm | 🎟 €45 |
Hermitage Green perform folk songs and harmonies for Kinsale Folk Fest.
🎤 Imelda May | Live at the Marquee | 8pm | 🎟 From €55.15 |
Imelda May performs songs and stories in a live Cork show.
🎸 Crying Loser + The Tin Whistle | Savoy Cork | 8:30pm | 🎟 €17.04 |
No-wave quartet Crying Loser headline with support from The Tin Whistle.
🎭 Drink Rum With Ex-Pats | The Pav | 12–13 June, 8:30pm | 🎟 €18–€22
Sh!t Theatre explore expat life, immigration and home through theatre.
🎭 Housework | CTC Studio at Triskel Arts Centre | 12–13 June, 9pm | 🎟 €18–€20 |
Theatre piece about Ireland’s club culture, women DJs and social change.
Saturday June 13th
🚴 Fort 2 Fort Charity Cycle | Camden Fort Meagher | 9:15am | 🎟 €55
Charity cycle with 60km, 90km and 120km routes supporting Cork ARC.
🌸 Press and Create with Flowers Workshop | Civic Trust House | 1pm–4pm | 🎟 €81.42 |
Workshop on flower pressing techniques and creating botanical artwork with pressed blooms.
🍷 PWF x Polska Eire Slavic Festival Cork | Fitzgerald Park | 11:30am–8pm | 🎟 €6.34 |
Polish wine tasting with three wines during Polska Eire Festival.
🎷 Laoise Leahy | Triskel Christchurch | 1pm | 🎟 €16–€18 |
Laoise Leahy performs jazz with the Johnny Taylor Trio.
🎭 Midsummer Parade | Oliver Plunkett Street | 3pm | 🎟 Free |
Cork Midsummer Festival parade with community groups, floats, costumes and performances.
🍴 Clonakilty Street Carnival | Pearse Street, Clonakilty | 3pm | 🎟 €25 |
Street carnival with outdoor food, live music and family activities.
🎭 Distillation | The Crypt at St Luke’s | 12–14 Jun, times vary | 🎟 €18–€20 |
Multi-sensory theatre performance by Luke Casserly exploring Ireland’s bog landscape.
📚 On Repetition & Absence | The Glucksman | 4pm | 🎟 €15–€18 |
Keynote lecture by award-winning Palestinian author and essayist Adania Shibli.
🪩 Summer Daylight Disco | Voodoo Rooms | 6pm–10pm | 🎟 From €9.55
Daylight disco with DJs Simon Murdoch and Pat Dilworth across two rooms.
🎶 Paddy Steer and guest Twitcher | UCC Boole Library | 6:30pm | 🎟 €13.50 |
Experimental lo-fi, cosmic funk and synth-folk from Paddy Steer and Twitcher.
🎶 Nightdress / Leah Ellis / Lily McMahon/ Bobby Ho | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €11 |
Cork lineup featuring indie folk, R&B, jazz and pop artists.
🎶 Idrîsî Ensemble | St Fin Barre’s Cathedral | 7pm | 🎟 €28–€32 |
Medieval Mediterranean music, polyphony and chant performed by specialist singers and instrumentalists.
🎻 Summer Gala Concert | Aula Maxima, UCC | 7:30pm | 🎟 From €35 |
String quartet gala marking 40 years since Vanbrugh Quartet arrived in Cork.
🎧 Cáit + DJ Pussypower | Savoy Cork | 8pm | 🎟 From €14.34 |
Club night with DJs Cáit and Pussypower playing dance and jungle cuts.
Sunday June 14th
🏃 Challenge 21 Half Marathon | Haulbowline Island | 10am | 🎟 €21–€50
Timed 21km charity walk, jog or run supporting Down Syndrome Centre Cork.
🍳 Brunch Club | The Anglers Bar & Restaurant | 1pm–5pm | 🎟 €45 |
Brunch event with drinks, music and DJ Ken Perrott.
📚 Said The Dead | Atkin’s Hall | 3pm | 🎟 €15–€18 |
Live reading and music from Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s new book Said the Dead with composer Niamh Buckley.
🍴 Féasta | Patrick’s Street | 11am–7pm | 🎟 Free |
Cork Midsummer Festival food and craft market with local makers and stalls.
🕯️Tribute to Queen | Aula Maxima, UCC | 7pm | 🎟 €21 |
Candlelight tribute concert featuring Queen songs performed in a classical setting.
🎤 David Gray | Live at the Marquee | 7pm | 🎟 From €77.55 |
David Gray performs at Live at the Marquee.
🎧 Electronic Wilde | Wilde Cork | Sun 14 Jun, 8pm–2am | 🎟 Free |
Electronic music night with DJ Bean playing acid, hip-hop and funk.
📚 Isabelle Huppert Reads Maupassant | Devere Hall, UCC | 8pm | 🎟 €45 |
Live reading of Guy de Maupassant stories by actor Isabelle Huppert.
🕯️ Hans Zimmer’s Best Works | Aula Maxima, UCC | 9pm | 🎟 €21.50 |
Candlelight concert featuring music from Hans Zimmer’s film scores.
Monday June 15th
🧘 Movement Morning | CTC Studio, Triskel Arts Centre | 10:30am | 🎟 Free |
Gentle guided movement session for stretching, twisting and waking up.
🎶 The Kates | Prim’s Bookshop, Kinsale | 7:30pm | 🎟 €20 |
Stripped-back bookshop show from West Cork five-piece The Kates.
🎻 Rennie Pearson and Lúan de Búrca | Maureen’s | 8pm | 🎟 €17.07 |
Traditional tunes, folk songs and stories from Ireland, Scotland and beyond.
Tuesday June 16th
🧹 Cleaning and Greening | The Fifth Quarter | 8:30am | 🎟 Free |
Community clean-up with scraping, painting and street greening around The Fifth Quarter.
🍝 Pasta Workshop | Don Gregorio | 6pm–8:30pm | 🎟 €54.60 |
Hands-on workshop on making homemade pasta from scratch.
🎸 Guitar in the Park | Fitzgerald Park | 7pm | 🎟 €12 |
Beginner-friendly group guitar class with warm-ups, techniques and songs.
Kids Events
🎭 Billie Jean’s RDC – The Yellow Brick Road | Cork Opera House | Thurs June 11 | 6:30pm | 🎟 €29.50 |
Dance and musical theatre production based on The Yellow Brick Road.
🧸 Play This Way | Triskel Arts Centre | Fri June 12–Sun 21, 12pm–5pm | 🎟 Free |
Interactive play space for early years children aged 0–6.
🧸 PlaySpaces | Various Cork venues | Fri June 12 | 12pm–5pm | 🎟 Free
Cork Midsummer Festival trail of child-only play pods, cosy dens and installations.
Planning Ahead
⚽ Andy Cole & Andy Mitten | Cyprus Avenue | Mon 10 Aug, 7pm | 🎟 €35 |
Andy Cole shares Manchester United stories with journalist Andy Mitten.
🍽️ The Market Table | The English Market | Sun 16 Aug, 3pm | 🎟 €85 |
Zero-waste dinner with drinks reception by FoodCloud and Orla McAndrew using surplus market ingredients. Part of Cork On A Fork Festival.
🎶 Onóir | Cork Opera House | Sun 20 Sep, 8pm | 🎟 €37 |
Donegal vocal quartet perform modern Irish folk songs and harmony arrangements.
Old Cork
The corner of Bridge Street, Coburg Street and Patrick's Hill in the 1960s. You can see the Provincial Bank of Ireland, which later merged to become Allied Irish Banks (AIB).
Image attribution: Anthony Barry Photographic Archive
