Greetings from Safe Harbour
This week in Cork, Jenny Keane brings The Orgasm Tour to the Everyman on Wednesday, Alison Spittle takes her Edinburgh Fringe award-winner to De Barras in Clonakilty on Thursday, Junior Brother plays Connolly's of Leap on Friday, and over 1,500 students from across the city and county take the Opera House stage for Applause 2026 at the weekend.
Patient Soldier runs at Cork Arts Theatre and Stand By Me is getting screened twice, forty years on.
This is our pick of what's on this week. As always for a full event list check out the link at the bottom of the email.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Alison Spittle: Big
Thursday 21 May · 20:00 · De Barras, Clonakilty
Winner of the Comedian's Choice Award for Best Show at Edinburgh Fringe 2025 and Best Performer at Dublin Fringe 2025, Big is the show Alison Spittle built after a stranger on a train told her to sit down. It became a show about making yourself smaller to fit what the world expects — and deciding not to. De Barras is one of the best rooms in Ireland for this kind of night, and Clonakilty is worth the drive.
Jenny Keane: The Orgasm Tour
Wednesday 20 May · 20:00 · The Everyman
Ireland's most sought-after sex educator brings a live show that mixes comedy, performance, and the kind of practical sex education most of us never got in school. The Orgasm Tour covers desire, anatomy, communication, and what actually works, delivered with the warmth and comic timing that has been filling rooms across Ireland for three years. The Everyman is a well-suited room for a show this dependent on audience connection.
Patient Soldier
Tuesday 19 May onwards · Cork Arts Theatre
Written by Barra Fitzgibbon with Olivier-nominated director Daniel Clarkson, Patient:Soldier goes inside a healthcare system pushed past its limits. Described as both hilarious and heartbreaking, it runs 60 minutes with no interval. One of the sharper pieces of new Irish writing on tour this season.
Stand By Me: 40th Anniversary Screening
Thursday 21 May · 20:30 · Triskel Arts Centre
Monday 25 May · IFI@BrieryGap, Macroom
Two chances to see Stand By Me on a proper screen, forty years after it came out. Triskel on Thursday in Cork city; BrieryGap in Macroom for West Cork. The film holds up in a way that most productions from 1986 do not.
Fusion
Sunday 24 May · 19:00 · The Everyman
End-of-season performance at the Everyman with a mixed programme of dance, theatre, and music. Check the Everyman programme for the full lineup.
Junior Brother
Friday 22 May · 20:00 · Connolly's of Leap
One of the more distinctive voices in Irish folk and indie right now, Junior Brother has been building a serious following show by show. Connolly's of Leap is one of the best live music venues in the country. This combination tends to produce a proper night.
Jack Ahern
Tuesday 19 May · 21:30 · Dwyers of Cork
Blues and rock guitar rooted in Rory Gallagher and the Beatles, late on Tuesday at one of Cork's reliable live music pubs.
Applause 2026
Friday 22 May & Sunday 24 May · Cork Opera House
Over 1,500 students from across Cork city and county take the Opera House stage for Applause 2026, the annual performing arts event from Montfort College of Performing Arts. Jazz, ballet, hip hop, tap, and musical theatre drawn from Newsies, Come From Away, and School of Rock among others. Tickets have been selling fast since April — check availability before making plans.
Suzuki Violin & Cello Performance
Sunday 24 May · 11:00 · Marina Market
Around 100 young Suzuki musicians perform together at the Marina Market, a community concert celebrating music education. A good Sunday morning option for families.
Pint of Science: Gut Microbes and the Human Body
Tuesday 19 May · 18:30 · The Old Oak, Winthrop Avenue
Part of the international Pint of Science festival, this Cork session looks at gut microbiome research in a pub setting. Accessible science, no background required.
Etching Weekend Course
Saturday 23 May · 10:00 · Cork Printmakers
Two-day printmaking course covering aquatint, sugarlift, and plate preparation at Cork Printmakers. The kind of weekend that produces a result you can frame.
For a full overview of all events on this week in Cork check out our event listings page
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
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