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🌇 Cork Sunset Today: 9:17pm
🌇 Last Wednesday: 9:06pm
Welcome everyone! It’s not the busiest week we’ve had, but there are still some good reasons to leave the house, from Ballymaloe Festival of Food to candlelight gigs in City Hall. Christopher Macarthur-Boyd in Coughlan’s this Saturday is also well worth catching.
This week’s newsletter also includes a first look at our new Cork gym comparison tool, built from your feedback.
As always, you can reply to this email with feedback, ideas and events I missed!
• 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
Venice - €94 (usually €255+)* | 📅 Jun 1–8 | View fare →
Rhodes - €104 (usually €350+)* | 📅 Jun 11–22 | View fare →
*“Usually” means the lowest typical fare Google Flights shows for similar trips that month.
Building Tools For Cork
Very excited to share the new gym comparison site we’ve been building over the past two months. Gymcork.ie lets you compare Cork gyms side by side across things like pricing, classes, facilities, and real user feedback on areas like crowding and cleanliness. Make sure to use the handy ‘compare’ button (pictured) to see gyms head-to-head.
There will be errors, missing pricing information, and rough edges in this first version. If you catch anything, please let us know so we can keep improving it. Big thank you as well to everyone who filled out the gym survey and helped shape the project.
What’s On This Week
Across the Week
📖 Cork International Poetry Festival 2026
Various venues | May 12–16 | 🎟 Ticketed & Free events |
Citywide festival featuring poetry readings, workshops, performances and literary events organised by the Munster Literature Centre.
🍴 Ballymaloe Festival of Food 2026
Ballymaloe Grainstore | May 15–17 | 🎟 €16.20–€390 |
Three-day food festival featuring dining events, talks, workshops and live music.
Wednesday May 13th
🎷 CSM Jazz Big Band
Curtis Auditorium, MTU Cork School of Music | 8pm | 🎟 Free |
Live big band performance featuring jazz compositions by contemporary composers.
🎶 K-Pop Forever!
Cork Opera House | May 13–14 (7pm) | 🎟 €34 |
Live stage tribute show featuring performances of K-pop hits with choreography, lighting effects and tracks inspired by KPop Demon Hunters.
✍️ CIPF 2026 - Cian Ferriter and Enda Wyley
Cork Arts Theatre | 8:30pm | 🎟 €5.88 |
Poetry reading featuring Cian Ferriter and award-winning poet Enda Wyley as part of Cork International Poetry Festival.
Thursday May 14th
🍲 Leeside Rebel Kitchen Community Meal
Rebel Reads | 7pm | 🎟 Free |
Community dinner with plant-based food, chats and live music aimed at bringing people together in a relaxed social setting.
🎬 Highlander – 40th Anniversary Screening
Triskel Arts Centre | 8:15pm | 🎟 Ticketed |
Special screening of the 1986 fantasy action film following immortal swordsman Connor MacLeod.
✍️ CIPF 2026 - John F. Deane and Martha Sprackland
Cork Arts Theatre | 8:30pm | 🎟 €5.88 |
Poetry reading featuring Irish poet John F. Deane alongside writer and translator Martha Sprackland as part of Cork International Poetry Festival.
🎷 Blender @ The Crane Lane
The Crane Lane Theatre | 9pm | 🎟 Free |
Live jazz-fusion performance featuring contemporary covers and original material from five-piece band Blender.
Friday May 15th
🧘 Bloom and Flow – Yoga and Brunch
Hayfield Manor | 9:30am | 🎟 €50 |
Morning wellness event featuring yoga with Wild Wave Yoga followed by brunch at Hayfield Manor’s Bloom restaurant.
🎶 RNB Bingo Day Party
Seventy Seven | 6pm–12am | 🎟 From €11.70 |
R&B-themed bingo party combining music, games and DJs in a late-evening social event.
🎶 The Music Of Oasis By Candlelight
Cork City Hall | 7:30pm | 🎟 €30–€50 |
Live candlelit concert celebrating the music of Oasis with vocalists and full band performances.
🎶 Leevy – Baile Mhúirne Album Launch
Briery Gap, Macroom | 8pm | 🎟 €20–€22 |
West Cork folk-punk band Leevy launch their debut album with a live show blending traditional Irish music and storytelling.
🎭 MnáSome Lives Cabaret
Cyprus Avenue | 8:30pm | 🎟 €24.57 |
Cabaret show celebrating queer women in Ireland with comedy, music, burlesque and spoken word performances.
🎶 Silk – Auralux Tour
Fred Zeppelins | 9pm | 🎟 €8.29 |
Live alternative music show featuring Silk and Auralux as part of the Auralux Tour.
🎶 The Floating Opera
The White Horse | 9pm | 🎟 From €19.78 |
Live show celebrating the release of The Floating Opera’s self-titled album.
✍️ CIPF 2026 – Anthony Joseph & Patricia Smith
Cork Arts Theatre | 10pm | 🎟 €5.88 |
T.S. Eliot Prize winner Anthony Joseph and National Book Award winner Patricia Smith headline a late-night Cork International Poetry Festival reading.
Saturday May 16th
🏅 “Cultivating Performance” – Coaching Conference
Pavilion Building, Mardyke Arena UCC | 9am–2pm | 🎟 €25 |
Coaching conference focused on athlete development, performance training and talent pathways for ages 15–21.
🧘 Women’s Retreat – Return To Self
Collective Cork | 3pm–5pm | 🎟 €38.52 |
Women’s wellness retreat combining cacao ceremony, breathwork, movement, journaling and guided relaxation.
😂 Christopher Macarthur-Boyd – Howling At The Moon
Coughlan’s | 3pm | 🎟 €17 |
Edinburgh Fringe hit stand-up show from Scottish comedian Christopher Macarthur-Boyd.
🎶 The Old School Party
Sky Bar Cork | 5pm | 🎟 €11.70 |
Stevie G hosts a daytime party featuring 90s and 2000s hip hop and R&B classics.
🎶 Daylight Disco
Popscene Late Bar & Club | 6pm–10pm | 🎟 From €9.55 |
Early evening disco party featuring 80s and 90s pop hits.
🎨 Wine & Paint Night
The Hideout Cafe | 7pm | 🎟 €43.87 |
Social painting workshop combining guided art creation with wine and café atmosphere.
🎶 Whitney Houston By Candlelight
Cork City Hall | 7:30pm | 🎟 €30–€50 |
Live candlelit concert celebrating Whitney Houston’s biggest hits with vocalist Kieshia Chun and full live band.
🎶 Harvest (A Tribute to Neil Young)
Triskel Christchurch | 8pm | 🎟 €25–€28 |
Acoustic tribute concert performing songs from across Neil Young’s catalogue with vocals, harmonica, guitars and piano.
🎉 Lesbian Lives 2026 – After Party!
Kino Events House | 8pm–1am | 🎟 €15 |
Afterparty for the Lesbian Lives Conference featuring DJs and a live performance from LINQ Ireland Drama.
🎶 The 4 Of Us
Richmond Revival | 8pm | 🎟 €28 |
Live performance from Northern Irish band The 4 Of Us featuring classic songs alongside material from their latest album Crescent Nights.
😂 Reggie’s Farm 2026 Tour
St Catherine’s Cultural Centre, Kinsale | 8pm | 🎟 €28.85 |
Comedy show following Cork character Reggie as he takes over a 700-acre farm in rural Ireland.
😂 Tom O’Mahony Plus Guests
Cork Comedy Club – City Limits | 8pm | 🎟 €22.50 |
Stand-up comedy night headlined by Tom O’Mahony with support acts and guest comedians.
😂 Cornelius Patrick O’Sullivan – Pull Hard
Paddy Mac’s, Coachford | 8:30pm | 🎟 €27.79 |
Stand-up comedy show from Cork comedian Cornelius Patrick O’Sullivan exploring fatherhood, middle age and missed opportunities.
🎧 Charles Webster & Shane Johnson
The Savoy | 8:30pm | 🎟 €22.43 |
House music night featuring DJ sets from producer Charles Webster and Fish Go Deep’s Shane Johnson.
✍️ CIPF 2026 – Kim Moore & Annemarie Ní Churreáin
Cork Arts Theatre | 10pm | 🎟 €5 |
Forward Prize winner Kim Moore joins acclaimed Donegal poet Annemarie Ní Churreáin for a Cork International Poetry Festival reading.
🎧 Dark Out!!!
The Hidden Attic | 10:30pm | 🎟 From €7.50 |
Late-night party event featuring DJ sets and an all-black dress theme.
Sunday May 17th
🌿 REWILDING: PRIMAL Breathwork, Silent Disco & Sauna
Hidden Sauna Bridgefield | 10am–1pm | 🎟 From €70.69 |
Outdoor wellness experience combining guided breathwork, silent disco headsets, live DJ sets, sauna and cold plunge therapy.
🎨 Drawing for Wellbeing with Inma Pavon
The Glucksman | 11am | 🎟 €20.28 |
Relaxed Sunday drawing class combining observational sketching techniques with wellbeing.
🎉 Diva Boutique Bakery 24th Birthday Party
Diva Boutique Bakery, Ballinspittle | 11am–3pm | 🎟 Free |
DJ set, cakes, chats and throwback 2000s vibes as Diva Boutique Bakery celebrates 24 years in business.
🎶 May Song Exchange
Maureen’s | 1:30pm | 🎟 €10.09 |
Community singing circle inspired by Irish song-sharing traditions with group harmonies, storytelling and tea.
🎷 Fire Tides Jazz Quintet
The Bodega | 2pm | 🎟 Free |
Cork jazz quintet blending hard bop influences with Irish musical traditions in a relaxed Sunday afternoon session.
🎬 The Stranger
Triskel Arts Centre | Sun, May 17 (2pm) + May 18-20 (5:45pm) | 🎟 €11 |
François Ozon’s adaptation of Albert Camus’ classic novel follows a detached clerk in 1930s Algeria with a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score.
💃 Deepening The Blues Dance Class
Collective Cork | 2pm–4pm | 🎟 €22.42 |
Intermediate blues dance class focused on musicality, technique, partner work and expressive movement.
🎻 Martin Hayes & Peadar Ó Riada
Ionad Cultúrtha, Ballyvourney | 7pm | 🎟 €15–€20 |
Traditional Irish music performance from acclaimed fiddler Martin Hayes and composer-musician Peadar Ó Riada.
🎶 My Leonard Cohen: A Tribute
The Everyman | 7pm | 🎟 €33 |
Stewart D’Arrietta and band perform reimagined versions of Leonard Cohen classics including Hallelujah, I’m Your Man and Tower of Song.
Monday May 18th
🧠 The Psychology of Carl Jung
Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €17–€39.50 |
Talk exploring Carl Jung’s ideas on dreams, archetypes, the unconscious and creativity, followed by a Q&A.
🧠 Pint of Science – Culture Code
The Liberty Bar | 7pm | 🎟 Free (registration required) |
Science talks exploring community wellbeing, alcohol-free culture, AI in education and how technology is reshaping human connection.
🎭 Toormore – New Play Reading
Wallis’ Bar, Midleton | 8pm | 🎟 Free |
Staged reading of a new play inspired by the final days of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork, followed by a Q&A.
🎶 Spinners – A Night of Weaving Sound and Poetry
Maureen’s | 8pm | 🎟 Free |
Evening of live sound, spoken word and experimental performance with artists Phil Spillane and MaeDea Farrell.
Tuesday May 19th
🤖 Pint of Science – AI in Talking Buildings, Deceptive Chatbots & Independent Systems
Sober Lane | Tue 19 May, 6pm | 🎟 Free (registration required) |
Talk exploring autonomous AI agents, deceptive chatbots and how artificial intelligence is shaping buildings and everyday technology.
🧪 Oíche Ólaíochta – Pint of Science Festival
The Roundy | 7:30pm | 🎟 Free |
Irish-language science night covering topics including DNA, GenAI and microbiology in an informal pub setting.
🔎 The Makings of a Murderer – The Undercover Detective
Cork Opera House | 8pm | 🎟 €31 |
Former undercover detective Peter Bleksley shares real stories from murder investigations, organised crime cases and life undercover.
Kids Events
🎨 See It, Sketch It! – National Drawing Day
The Glucksman | Sat May 16, 10am | 🎟 Free (last few tickets) |
Drawing workshop for ages 10–13 exploring sketching techniques inspired by artworks from the UCC Art Collection.
🎨 ‘Feathered Friends’ Children’s Workshop
The City Library, Grand Parade | Sat May 16, 11am | 🎟 Free (last few tickets) |
Children’s biodiversity art workshop creating drawings and collages of native Irish birds for ages 9–12.
🏑 Rise Above Hockey Clinic
Cork Harlequins Club | Sat May 16, 12:30pm–2:30pm | 🎟 €27.79 |
Hockey training clinic for 1st and 2nd year students led by current UCC players with international experience.
🚲 Bike Week Bike Bop
Grand Parade | Sun May 17, 2pm | 🎟 Free |
Disco-on-wheels group cycle around Cork City as part of Bike Week. Open to all, with kids welcome when accompanied by an adult.
Planning Ahead
🎬 Fastnet Film Festival
Schull, West Cork | May 20–24 | 🎟 Various prices |
West Cork film festival showcasing Irish and international cinema with screenings, workshops, panel talks, live music and family events across Schull.
🎶 Stanley Super 800
The Savoy | Fri 22 May, 8:30pm | 🎟 €17.04 |
Cork electronic indie-folk band Stanley Super 800 return with a live show blending synths, indie rock and traditional Irish influences.
🐷 Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show
Cork Opera House | Tues+Wed, May 26–27, various times | 🎟 €18–€21 |
Peppa Pig and friends return in a family stage show packed with songs, adventure and theatre fun for younger audiences.
😂 Jokes for Stroke
The Everyman | Thu 28 May, 8pm | 🎟 €31 |
Fundraiser comedy night hosted by Chris Kent featuring a lineup including Ross Browne, Andrew Ryan and Cornelius O’Sullivan in aid of Cork Stroke Support.
🎶 Babyshambles
Cyprus Avenue | Sat 22 Aug, 7pm | 🎟 €55 |
Peter Doherty reunites Babyshambles for a live show celebrating the band’s return and the 20th anniversary of Down In Albion.
Old Cork
South Main Street in the early 1970s. The Raven bar is on the right, while the Castle Inn can just be made out beside it. Both are still going strong today.
Image attribution: Anthony Barry Photographic Archive
