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Welcome! Cork’s event lineup this week is weighted towards Friday’s Culture Night. There are nearly 300 events happening across Cork City and County throughout the evening. Best of all, thanks to Arts Council funding, every single one of them is free!
Because we still want to spotlight the rest of the week's best events, we’ve handpicked a few Culture Night highlights below. If you want to look at the full program, you can check out the official Culture Night website.
If you think someone in Cork might like this email every week, please send it their way!
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✈️ Cork Airport Flight Deals Found This Week
What’s On This Week
Wednesday September 16
📚 Róisín Kiberd in Conversation with Sara Baume | Waterstones Cork | 6:30pm–8pm | 🎟 Free |
Writers discuss The Most Normal Woman, body modification, internet culture and contemporary writing.
🎭 When I Was God | Cork Arts Theatre | Wed 16, Thu 17 & Sat 19 Sep, 8pm; Sat 2:30pm | 🎟 €20, €18 concession |
Conal Creedon’s play follows a retiring football referee confronting ghosts from his past
🎤 Michael English | Cork Opera House | Wed 16 Sep, 8pm | 🎟 €36.50 |
Irish country singer performs his biggest hits and classic country songs with special guest Mick Foster.
Thursday September 17
🎬 Between Words - Raising Voices Through Live Performance & Film | Kino Events House | 7pm | 🎟 €12.50 |
Live performance and film by migrant, LGBTQ+ and underrepresented voices.
📅 Katherine Priddy | Wavelength Rooftop Bar | 7pm | 🎟 €22 |
British folk singer-songwriter performs songs from new album These Frightening Machines.
📅 Bring Me Back Alive | ActorsVision | 7pm | 🎟 Free |
Drama exploring grief and friendship following a friend's suicide.
🎤 Kat Eaton | Coughlan’s | 7:30pm + Fri Sept 18, 8:00pm | 🎟 €20 |
Soul and jazz singer Kat Eaton performs songs from new album What Happens Now.
Friday September 18
🎨 Culture Night 2026 - A Taste of Chinese Culture | UCC Boole Library | 4pm | 🎟 Free |
Calligraphy, tea tasting, knotting, chopstick games, and traditional dress workshop.
🏛️ Tours of the Lord Mayor’s Office & Council Chamber | Cork City Hall | 4pm–9pm | 🎟 Free |
Guided tours explore City Hall’s historic rooms, artefacts, portraits and civic stories.
📅 Culture Night at Tyndall | Tyndall National Institute | 5pm | 🎟 Free |
Scientific ideas and future innovation showcase with open doors.
🎨 Culture Night Tours at Cork Printmakers | Cork Printmakers | 5pm | 🎟 Free |
Guided tour of printmaking studios and exhibition exploring rural queer experience through print.
🪖 Collins’ Barracks Military Museum: Late Opening | Collins’ Barracks Military Museum | 5pm–9pm | 🎟 Free |
Late opening exploring 200 years of military history, conflict and Irish peacekeeping.
🌙 Cornmarket Street Night Market | Cornmarket Street | 5pm–9pm | 🎟 Free |
Special night market with stalls and entertainment across Cornmarket Street.
🎭 Culture Night: Behind the Curtain | Cork Opera House | 6pm–8:30pm, every 30 mins | 🎟 Booking required |
Self-guided backstage experience exploring Cork Opera House through recordings from past and present staff.
🌌 Culture Night at the Castle | Blackrock Castle Observatory | 6pm–11pm | 🎟 Free |
Astronomy presentations, space workshops, exhibitions and weather-dependent stargazing. All ages, no booking required.
🍴 The English Market by Night | The English Market | 6:30pm–9:30pm | 🎟 Free |
Late opening with selected traders serving local food, wine tastings and Cork favourites, plus live music throughout the evening.
🚌 Culture Bus Stops: Double Decks | Cork City Hall | 6:30pm–8:30pm | 🎟 Free |
Free hop-on-hop-off Culture Night buses link City Hall with Blackrock Castle, Collins Barracks and UCC across three routes, with mellow electronic and ambient DJ sets on board. Last bus leaves City Hall at 8pm.
🎵 Keywest | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €27.50 |
Five-piece band performs indie-pop music with street-busking roots.
💃 Viva México! Dance, Music & Tradition | St Peter’s Cork | 7:45pm | 🎟 Free |
Traditional Mexican dance and live singing with colourful costumes, lively rhythms and cultural performances.
🎻 Handel’s Band Off Duty with the Irish Baroque Orchestra | Triskel Arts Centre | 8pm–10pm | 🎟 Free |
Irish Baroque Orchestra blends Handel and 18th-century music with traditional Irish influences in an informal, high-energy performance.
🎭 The Devil's in the Dance Hall - Culture Night Late Cork City | Concert Hall, City Hall, Cork | 9pm | 🎟 Free |
Dance and theatre performance exploring folk memory and defiance in 1930s Irish dance halls.
Saturday September 19
🎷 Paul Dunlea Quintet | Triskel Arts Centre | 1pm | 🎟 €18, €16 concession |
Trombonist Paul Dunlea leads a five-piece jazz group performing new material rooted in improvisation.
🌿 UPSTART FESTIVAL CORK 2026 | Glounthaune Village | 3:30pm | 🎟 €22.42 |
Multi-genre outdoor festival featuring Cork bands, established and emerging artists.
🎵 Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy. Two legendary live albums. One night LIVE | The Pavilion | 6pm | 🎟 €17.07 |
Tribute performances of two classic live albums in full.
🎵 COMMON GROUND #2 | plugd records | 6pm | 🎟 €7.40 |
DJ night featuring boogie, house, disco, wave, and oddball pop music.
🎨 Réalta Voices, Natural Voice Singing September 2026 | My Goodness Cafe, upstairs @ The Quay Co-op | 6:30pm | 🎟 €11.70 |
Natural voice singing workshop teaching unison and harmony songs for wellbeing.
🎸 The Lemonheads | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €35.76 |
Alternative rock band performs material from recent album.
🎵 JALEO @ The Kino | Kino Events House | 7pm | 🎟 €5.92 |
Flamenco fusion concert with live music and dancing.
🎸 Rock Rising | Cork Opera House | 8pm | 🎟 €31 |
Seven-piece band performs classic rock hits from Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Queen, Thin Lizzy and more.
🎵 Frank and Walters Acoustic | Paddy Mac's | 8:30pm | 🎟 €33.15 |
The band performs acoustic material from their back catalogue.
🎸 John Spillane | The White Horse | 8:30pm | 🎟 €27.19 |
Singer-songwriter performs traditional and contemporary Irish folk music.
Sunday September 20
🎨 One Day Voice Workshop for Actors | Scoil Cholmcille - Blarney Street | 10am | 🎟 €54.60 |
Voice workshop for actors covering breath, resonance, projection, and vocal technique.
🎨 Public Tour: The Annals of Inisfallen and the Making of Irish History | The Glucksman | 11am | 🎟 €6.34 |
Guided tour of exhibition exploring the Annals of Inisfallen and Irish historical documentation.
🎶 The Cork Record and CD Fair | Crane Lane Theatre | 12pm–5pm | 🎟 Free |
Record fair with new traders and fresh vinyl and CD finds for crate diggers.
🏃♀️ The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon | Cork City | 1pm | 🎟 €23 |
Annual 6km road race from Centre Park Road through the Marina and Blackrock to Monahan Road.
🎶 A Night at the Opera by Candlelight | City Hall | 6pm | 🎟 €37.89 |
Opera concert featuring four soloists and orchestra performing arias, duets, and ensembles.
🎵 Denise Chaila | Cyprus Avenue | 7pm | 🎟 €27.50 |
Choice Music Prize winner performs debut solo tour featuring new and established material.
Monday September 21
🗣️ Cork French / English Language Exchange | Rising Sons Brewery | 8pm | 🎟 Free |
Relaxed weekly language exchange for practising French and English with native speakers.
Tuesday September 22
🎭 Othello | The Everyman | Tue 22–Fri 25 Sep, 10am & 1pm; Thu 24 Sep, 7:30pm public show | 🎟 €23 |
Traditional staging of Shakespeare’s tragedy, aimed particularly at Leaving Certificate students.
Kids Events
🎤 Rap and Recording Workshop | Cork City Library | Fri Sept 18, 4pm–5pm | 🎟 Booking required |
Children aged 9–14 learn songwriting, beat-making, rap and recording with GMC Beats and The Kabin Studio.
📖 Seanchoíche Óg: Folklore Storytelling & Crafts | Old Cork Waterworks Experience | Fri Sept 18, 4:30pm & 5:30pm | 🎟 Free |
Children hear Irish folklore stories, then create themed swan or fish crafts.
🎭 Youth Space Night | Cork YMCA | Fri Sept 18, 6pm–9pm | 🎟 Free |
Youth-led evening of music, poetry, spoken word, art and film, with workshops and a live jam session.
🎸 Rock the Block Returns! | Carnegie Courtyard, Cork City Library | Fri Sept 18, 7:15pm–8:30pm | 🎟 Free |
Youth music showcase with Kabin Crew and young singers, songwriters, musicians and beatmakers.
Planning Ahead
😂 Fin Taylor: The Pre-emptive Comeback Special | The Everyman | Wed 21 Oct, 8pm | 🎟 €29 |
English stand-up comedian Fin Taylor brings his biggest tour yet to Cork with a new live show.
🎤 St. Paul and The Broken Bones | Cyprus Avenue | Fri 23 Oct, doors 7pm | 🎟 €35 |
Alabama soul band brings its high-energy live show to Cork, blending soul, R&B, psych-funk and rock.
🎧 Masters At Work: Guinness Jazz Festival 2026 | Cork Opera House | Fri 23 Oct, 7pm | 🎟 €46 |
Legendary house duo Louie Vega and Kenny Dope bring their blend of house, disco, hip-hop and Latin influences to Cork.
Old Cork
The fountain on Grand Parade in the 1960s.
Image attribution: Anthony Barry Photographic Archive
