The Friday View 25/10
The Friday View 25/10
It's a bumper Friday View full of jazz, parades and promises of an Event Centre🙈. Plans for Shandon's renewal are progressing, Cork City FC are back in the big league with plans afoot for the Cross.
The non Event Centre: The latest twist in the Event Centre saga came this week when the government announced that the project would go back out to tender. An Tánaiste, Micheál Martin made the announcement on Monday morning in Cork when he told reporters that coalition leaders were due to discuss the project in that day’s cabinet meeting. It was then announced on Wednesday that a 12-18 month turnaround time from tendering to construction would be achievable, according to a government spokesperson. Given that the sod was famously and tragically turned in 2016, expect zero confidence in that timeline.
The process has been described by former Lord Mayor Mick Finn as an “utter farce,” but that didn’t stop National Geographic from including the Event Centre in its glowing write up of Cork which made the cut for their Top 25 Places to Visit in 2025.
While the enthusiastic editors at the National Geographic have jumped the gun and some with the Event Centre, the area around the former brewery is currently undergoing a major €7.5m revamp. It includes the construction of two bridges, one of them leading to the Event Centre site itself. What impact the re-tendering will have on that bridge remains to be seen?
Construction form BAM’s partners in the Event Centre project, Live Nation Gaiety, made headlines when they purchased Rory Gallagher’s famous Fender Stratocaster at an auction in London last week and donated it to the National Museum of Ireland. Minister for Culture Catherine Martin said she looked “forward to hearing more of the museum’s plans to showcase the famous Strat, which I understand will include Cork, where the legendary musician grew up.” One wonders whether Live Nation buying the Stratocaster was an attempt to soften up the people amid a demand for further funding, although rumours circulated that they wanted to display it in the venue, likely hot air.
While there are understandable access and logistical issues with the former brewery site, putting the Event Centre there would be great for the city centre, especially the area around Washington Street and Barrack Street. Having the venue amongst the heart of the city’s night and cultural scene, and hospitality sector, would be immense. If it ever happens, that is.
The announcement comes as we head into the biggest weekend in the city’s hospitality and cultural sectors, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. As with every year, they have the “biggest lineup yet”, which, in all fairness, is very strong this year. Huge names like the Buena Vista Social Club, Gregory Porter, Kamasi Washington (although it’s been postponed), and Hot Chip are coming to Leeside. The festival has been going from strength to strength year on year, and although the ~200 capacity Kino has been brought in this year as an official venue, imagine what could be brought in with a 6,000-seater arena?
One person who expects to be at an event in the Event Centre in 2026 is former Cork City Council boss, who confidently predicted to the Echo in July 2023 that it would all be built and up and running in three years. And she’d be at event there.
Sinking ship: Incoming CEO of the Port of Cork Ann Doherty has her work cut out as newly released data from the Central Statistics Office shows that the port has slipped behind Foynes, which is now the second busiest port in the Republic. The Port of Cork handled just over 1.9 million tonnes in second quarter of this year, behind Foynes (2.1m tonnes) and Dublin (6.5m tonnes).
The Examiner reports that profits at the Port of Cork dropped to €7.5m from €9.16m. Overall traffic was down to rom 10.5 million tonnes to 9.5 million, but revenue stayed at just under €50 million for 2023.
And all that Jazz! It’s big, it’s busy, and it might be a reason to head away for the weekend. The biggest weekend on the Cork events calendar, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, is upon us. Beginning last night, spirits are high despite one of the festival headliners, Todd Terje, cancelling his Cyprus Avenue gig last night at the last minute due to “flight issues.”
Founded in 1978 by Jim Mountjoy, then marketing manager at the Metropole Hotel, the festival has become Ireland’s largest city-based festival. Last year’s festival attracted 100,000 visitors to the city, and the opening of two new hotels in the city could see this number increase slightly this year.
Official events take place in ten venues across the city, which include Cork City Hall, Cork Opera House, Live at St. Luke’s, St. Peter’s, Cyprus Avenue, the Kino, the Triskel Arts Centre, The Everyman, and The Metropole. As well as that, many of the city’s bars and other venues will host their own jazz lineups, with 72 locations across the city and South Cork featuring on the Guinness Music Trail.
The festival also features ‘The Big Fringe’, a series of free and ticketed events in smaller venues and on the street. There’s a large temporary ‘Super Dome’ stage on Emmett Place with live music on Saturday and Sunday, while a marching band takes over Oliver Plunkett Street this evening. The ‘Beat on the Street’ sees several brass and marching bands cover the city’s streets, and The Blarney Brass & Reed Band play on Daunt Square. There will also be a Jazz Gospel Service in Saint Anne’s Church in Shandon. A list of our recommendations can be read below.
Shandon integrated urban strategy: The Shandon Integrated Urban strategy is now online and open to public consultation, two months after the Let’s Talk Shandon events in the Firkin Crane. A follow up event, Let’s Talk Shandon 2, took place in the Firkin Crane on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, with a short address from project partners explaining the plans. The project is being funded under the Government’s Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme (THRIVE), which is heritage led and focuses on town centres.
The strategy identified eleven “character areas” in Shandon, and architect Matthew Hand of John McLaughlin Architects said that the strategy intends “to strengthen character areas through this strategy.” The strategy also aims to allow “safe, accessible, comfortable access” to the area from the Quays and via Devonshire Street, linking the area more closely with the city centre and the Victorian Quarter (if its still called that). It aims to strengthen ‘key destinations’, such as the Shandon Bells and the Butter Exchange.
A focal point of the project is the Weighmaster’s Lodge, located on Church Street, behind the Butter Exchange, with a plan to integrate it in with the Exchange. Plans for the inside of the Exchange Building are available to view, as are proposed public realm works on Shandon Street. The plans include 11 locations where small public realm improvements are proposed. Funnily enough, the drawings include the missing Dunscombe Fountain.
Public realm improvements are proposed around the Firkin Crane and Shandon Bells, along Shandon Street, outside the Dominican Church and Myo Café on Pope’s Quay, on Eason’s Hill, and a new square is proposed on Old Market Place.
The plan is still vague in parts, but it is still only a draft, and it is also awaiting a fair bit of funding. Tadhg McCarthy, of the Shandon Area Renewal, speaking at the event said that “you can’t have something financed without having a plan.”
Dragon of Shandon Parade: Halloween is around the corner, which means the Cork Community Art Link’s annual Dragon of Shandon Parade takes to the city’s streets. Starting outside the Shandon Bells on Church Street, the parade runs down Shandon Street, North Main Street, and Castle Street, before turning onto Cornmarket Street, finishing outside the Bridewell Garda Station. A GoFundMe fundraiser for the parade has raised over €1,000, and one of the floats for the parade was built during a series of workshops in The Lido in Blackpool. The parade takes place on Thursday October 31, at 7pm.
Northern Distributor Road “needed”: While the Northside does not see as many traffic delays as the Southside, it has been the slightly poorer relation when it comes to infrastructure in Cork. However, plans for a Northern Distributor Road, running from Tinker’s Cross in Mayfield through Ballyvolane, Kilbarry, Hollyhill to the Carrigrohane Road, are at an advanced stage. Labour councillor for the North East Ward, John Maher, told The Echo that the road “is needed and needed now to allow for balanced development in Cork city,” and has said that the road must be fast-tracked. The road is currently reaching the route options stage, with a consultation process due in the coming months.
The Northside is currently seeing large swathes of development, with over 1,000 homes currently being built along the Ballyhooly Road, while a proposed LRD with 166 homes between Dublin Pike and Ballyhooly Road was recently rejected. On the other side of Ballyvolane, the first 95 homes of a council scheme in Kilnap are at consultation stage, and over 300 homes were granted planning permission on a site owned by Cork GAA in Kilbarry. Both sites are under the Kilbarry/North Blackpool Framework Plan, alongside Murphy’s Rock, which includes land that the Land Development Agency are receiving from the IDA for the purpose of housing, and could include up to 4,000 homes.
Electioneering: With only a month remaining until the yet-to-be-confirmed election date, parties are frantically adding bodies to their line-ups. While Senator Jerry Buttimer failed to make the cut for Fine Gael in Cork South-Central first time out, losing to councillors Úna McCarthy and Shane O’Callaghan, he has subsequently been selected.
Not a week goes by without Fine Gael haemorrhaging a sitting TD. Buttimer, a former city councillor and TD, was one of the many political figures who was caught up in the Galway “Golfgate” scandal first reported in the Examiner. He resigned as Leas-Cathaoirleach of the Seanad when it was confirmed he was one of 80 people to attend the golfing event in the height of the pandemic while everyone was being told to obey restrictions.
City could see another win: Last Friday was a big day for Cork City FC, as they took home the League of Ireland First Division trophy, and gained promotion back to the top tier of Irish soccer. They’ve been here before.
Ruairí Keating, Cathal O’Sullivan, Sean Maguire, Cian Bargary and Malik Dijsteel all scored on Friday, as City treated fans to a 6-0 trouncing of third-placed Wexford FC. Manager Tim Clancy and club owner Dermot Usher will now be focusing on keeping the club in the top tier, having already faced the embarrassment of relegation.
Surely things can only get better. They very well could, as on Wednesday the Examiner reported that Turner’s Cross could see renovations with money previously earmarked for a soccer centre of excellence. The FAI Centre of Excellence, which was planned for Brooklodge in Glanmire, was estimated to cost €12m and would primarily have served as a training ground for Cork City.
An FAI spokesperson told the Examiner that the association is working with the Department of Sport around the use of the much lesser sum of €2m, which had previously been pledged to the centre of excellence. The sum could still have a transformative effect on the stadium, which was forced to close back in April over damage to the pitch.
The Brooklodge site may now be one that Dolphin Swimming Club have an agreement in principal to lease from Cork County Council as a site for their planned olympic swimming pool, which had been bought from Birmingham’s Commonwealth games.
Shuffling the deck chairs: New Cork City Council boss Valerie O’Sullivan announced changes at the top of the City Council’s Executive this week. Amongst them is a new portfolio called City Centre Development and Operations. While there’s no one in place for that position yet, it’s being progressed.
While Ms O’Sullivan said in a press release that “The changes in management and directorate structure reflect my priorities for the city and our organisation,” in all likelihood these changes were well underway before her arrival last month.
That list in full:
The Assistant Chief Executive, Brian Geaney will have overall responsibility for the Cork Docklands, Planning & Development, the City Centre and Housing
City Centre Development and Operations - TBC
Climate, Energy and City Designations – Fearghal Reidy
Corporate & Community (to include Community, Arts and Culture, LEO, Libraries) – Rebecca Loughry
Housing – Alison O’Rourke
Infrastructure – Gerry O’Beirne
Local Area Development and Operations – Paul Moynihan
Planning and Development (to include City Architects, Property and Economic Development) - Niall Ó’Donnabháin
Service Redesign and Emergency Management – David Joyce
More Keating: While the Crawford Art Gallery shut up shop last month as part of the rebuild, behind the scene they’ve been adding to the collection with the purchase of four paintings which include two by Sean Keating as well as one a piece from Camille Souter and Grace Henry.
Press release of the week: Bless him, but Sinn Féin Cllr Joe Lynch, sent out a press release last week wishing his colleague TD Thomas Gould a speedy recovery following surgery. Likewise, we all wish him well, but would a get well card not have done the trick, and well, been a bit more personal?
Out + About
Stevie G and Choice Cuts return to St. Peter’s this year with a collaboration with Blue Note Records, to celebrate label’s 85 years. 85 Blue Note features an interactive, walk-through display of the label’s artwork, and The Blue Note Popup Store, which is in Ireland for the first time. This will be one of the more relaxed spaces during jazz weekend, a is definitely worth checking out! It runs until Wednesday.
Time, date, place: 9:30am-5pm, Friday October 25 - Wednesday October 30, St. Peter’s, North Main Street, Cork.
Big Fringe: The Big Fringe features free, public events on the city’s streets, and some gigs in the City Library. This evening, there’s a marching band on Oliver Plunkett Street, while Saturday and Sunday see live music on Emmet Place, and an open top jazz bus spinning around town. On Sunday morning, there will be a Jazz Gospel Service in Saint Anne’s Church in Shandon, while The Blarney Brass & Reed Band play on Daunt Square in the afternoon.
Time, date, place: 6pm, Friday October 25, Oliver Plunkett Street; Saturday October 26 and Sunday October 27, Emmet Place; 10:45am, Sunday October 27, Saint Anne’s Church, Church Street, Shandon; 3pm, Sunday October 27, Daunt Square.
The Jazz Festival’s offspring, Kinsale Jazz Festival, is also taking place this weekend. Folk artist Lewis Barfoot performs in the Bulman with a jazz quintet tonight, while all of Kinsale’s famous bars feature live music. Handy if you want to get out of the city, but also want to enjoy the jazz!
Time, date, place: 10pm, Friday October 25, The Bulman, Summercove, Kinsale.
Theo Parrish is a house DJ and producer based in Detroit, but who grew up in Chicago, listening to Miles Davis, Nina Simone, and George Gershwin. He is known for mixing classic and obscure songs in his mixes, and creating a groovy sound. Vice have described his music is “masterclasses in the manipulation of black dance music.” He hits the decks in Cyprus Avenue tonight, tickets and information here.
Time, date, place: 11pm, Friday October 25, Cyprus Avenue, Caroline Street, Cork.
Les Amazones D’Afrique are an all female African supergroup, based in Mali, which has included some of African music’s biggest stars. Currently led by Mamani Keita and Fafa Ruffino, they recently released their third album, Musow Danse. They play Live at St. Luke’s, and while the show hasn’t sold out yet, there is a waitlist. Join it here. You can find tickets for more of the Good Room’s Jazz gigs here.
Time, date, place: 7:30pm, Saturday October 26, Live at St. Luke’s, Summerhill North, Cork.
Our own experimental jazz man Dan Walsh is having as busy a weekend as ever. He plays Live at St Luke’s on Sunday with his band, Fixity. If you can’t catch that, he’s playing in O’Sho on Barrack Street as the Dan Walsh Trio. Tickets for the gig at St. Luke’s available here, support comes from Bog Jazz, an exploration of the music of Sliabh Luachra through the medium of Jazz by Eoin ‘Stan’ O’Sullivan.
Time, date, place: 1pm, Sunday October 27, Live at St. Luke’s, Summerhill North, Cork; 5pm-7pm & 9pm-11pm, Saturday October 26 and Sunday October 27, O’Sho, Barrack Street, Cork.
The Kino has been added as an official venue this year, with a lineup of local and Irish acts curated by Choice Cuts. FoxGluv, a space for underrepresented female, non-binary and trans creatives, play in the space at 11pm tonight, with DJ sets from JWY, Charlotte Walsh & HopeDiesHere. The X Collective, a DIY music and arts collective of solo artists and creatives, perform in the space tomorrow evening at 8pm, with support from TXC Brass Party. They are followed by The South Got Something To Say at 11pm, a group of local DJs brought together by Stevie G, featuring DJ Saidi and unkle-zeh & frndz, celebrating hip-hop, afrobeats, dancehall, soul, jungle and jazz. Dublin’s Soft Boy Records take over the space on Sunday, with Kean Kavanagh performing, followed by Soft Boy DJs later in the night. Tickets for all the Choice Cut gigs can be found here.
Time, date, place: 11pm, Friday October 25; 8pm, Saturday October 26; 11pm Saturday October 26; 8pm, Sunday October 27; 11pm, Sunday October 27; Kino, Washington Street, Cork.
Included as part of the Big Fringe, the Electronic Music Council will have three nights in the Liquid Lounge, in collaboration with Give Us The Night. Tomorrow, they host legendary Japanese DJ Soichi Terada, with support from Danilo Milk and PatFeelGood. On Saturday, its over to Manchester DJ Nancy Live with support from NATMAC and Battsy, while Sunday sees Lone take over with James ABJURE and Data Ryder.
Time, date, place: 11pm, Friday October 25, Saturday October 26, and Sunday October 27, Liquid Lounge, Princes Street, Cork.
Coughlan’s host a mix of ticketed and free gigs all weekend, including three sold out Lisa O’Neill shows and a sold out silent disco. Mik Pyro, former lead man of the Republic of Loose, plays a free show with his band this evening at 7:30. The Jimmy Smyth Trio play two free shows, one at 10:30 tonight and one and 8:30 tomorrow, while Cork City Organ Group play in The Nest on Sunday. On Monday, Rory McCarthy and Hugh Dillon play a free gig in the venue. More information here.
Time, date, place: 7:30pm & 10:30pm, Friday October 25; 8:30pm, Saturday October 26; 8pm, Sunday October 27; 6pm, Monday October 28, Coughlan’s, Douglas Street, Cork.
The Roundy host two events for the Jazz this year. DJ group Off Jazz have been playing in the Roundy for three years, and return with Blix, Bryan, and special guest, Sunday Times DJ and producer Colm K. Cosmic disco group FUNKSMACK take over on the Sunday, with Lump Hammer Disco. Tickets are available here.
Time, date, place: 8pm, Saturday October 26 and Sunday October 27, The Roundy, Castle Street, Cork.
There will be three nights of techno in Dali this weekend. Limerick DJ Maedbh O’Connor hits the decks in the space tonight, with support from Ashes, while Carlow DJ Tr-One plays an all-nighter in the space tomorrow. Machina takes over on Sunday, with East London DJ Reece Spooner and James O’Carroll. Tickets are available on the door.
Time, date, place: 10pm, Friday October 25; Saturday October 26; Sunday October 27, Dali, Lavitt’s Quay, Cork.
Spaces, is the visual art and music project of Immanuel Sola, which has recently collaborated on popups with Jameson. They return to their usual space in the Rising Sons Brewery, with Syano, on Saturday night. Expect DJs, cool visuals, and some dancing.
Time, date, place: 10pm, Rising Sons Brewery, Cornmarket Street, Cork.
The Sunday Times return to Aye for its 15th Jazz Weekend, if you’re looking for an early dance. €10 on the door, it begins at 4pm.
Time, date, place: 4pm, Sunday October 27, Aye, Copley Street, Cork.
Myo Cafe celebrated its 10th birthday this week, and early on Saturday, it celebrates the Jazz with Throwin Shapes, a DJ trio and music collective who regularly dig deep into their vinyl collections. It’s the perfect way to break into your jazz on Saturday.
Time, date, place: 12pm, Saturday October 26, Myo, Pope’s Quay, Cork.
This Sunday, community book shop Rebel Reads holds its monthly book sale. It’s a sprawling collection of thousands of books, many as low as €1. Free in. All welcome.
Time, date, place: 11 am - 4:00 pm, Sunday October 27, Unit 2, Marina Commercial Park, Ballintemple
This week on T+D:
