Greetings from Safe Harbour
The Cork Harbour Festival enters its final weekend with Blackrock Race Day bringing the waterfront to life on Saturday, plus an otter walk on Wednesday, kayaking on the Lee on Friday, and cocktail and seafood pairing at Aye on Thursday.
C.W. Stoneking plays Connolly's of Leap on Sunday night. God of Carnage opens at Cork Arts Theatre. Akira screens in 4K in Macroom. And Triskel runs free creative workshops for Cruinniú na nÓg all Saturday.
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
C.W. Stoneking
Sunday 7 June · 21:00 · Connolly's of Leap
Australian blues and roots musician playing Hokum blues: prewar blues, ragtime, vaudeville, hillbilly, jazz, and calypso, all running together in a style that sounds like it was recorded in a different century. His 2008 album Jungle Blues won Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIAs. Connolly's of Leap is a 150-capacity pub in a West Cork village that's been winning Munster Venue of the Year for a decade and has earned it. The combination of this artist and this room is worth making the trip for.
Cork Harbour Festival: Blackrock Race Day
Saturday 6 June · All day · Blackrock Village waterfront
The Cork Harbour Festival (30 May to 8 June) rounds out its final weekend with Blackrock Race Day on the village waterfront. Youth waterfront racing, food stalls, circus performers, maritime windsock kite installations by Kim-Ling Morris, and the Shandon Ukulele Ensemble from noon. The main programme runs 1pm to 6pm at Lapp's Quay with street entertainment and live music. Bring the kids or just go yourself — it works either way.
Evil Scientist, Waveflyer, Eve Whelan
Friday 5 June · 19:00 · Cyprus Avenue
Three-act bill at Cyprus Avenue: Cork-based Evil Scientist mixing alt-rock, jazz, and psychedelic influences, alongside Waveflyer and singer-songwriter Eve Whelan. The kind of Friday night where you might not know what you're walking into and come out glad you went.
God of Carnage
Wednesday 3 June · 20:00 · Cork Arts Theatre
Yasmina Reza's Tony and Olivier Award-winning comedy: two sets of parents sit down to discuss a playground dispute between their children, and spend the next 90 minutes dismantling their own self-image. The play works because Reza keeps the pressure rising on people who believe they're fundamentally reasonable. Cork Arts Theatre, Carroll's Quay.
IFI@BrieryGap: Akira (4K Restoration)
Wednesday 3 June · 19:30 · Briery Gap, Macroom
Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime landmark, newly restored in 4K. The film that introduced anime to Western adult audiences is worth seeing on a cinema screen rather than at home, and the restoration makes that argument in full. Briery Gap in Macroom is a small screen worth travelling to for the right film.
A Brief History of Song — Cork PianoFest 2026
Friday 5 June · 13:00 · Triskel Arts Centre
The final concert of the 2026 Cork PianoFest takes on the breadth of song — Norwegian folk through jazz standards to the Beatles. MTU Cork School of Music students performing. Lunchtime; Triskel is a comfortable room for it.
Constellations
Monday 8 June · 20:00 · Cork Arts Theatre
A two-hander exploring the multiverse theory and the nature of love: the same scenes between the same two people, played out across different parallel possibilities. The conceit sounds complicated; in the room it plays as intimate and quietly devastating. Cork Arts Theatre, Carroll's Quay.
Ravioli Workshop at Don Gregorio
Tuesday 2 June · 18:00 · Don Gregorio
Hands-on ravioli-making at Don Gregorio. The evening ends with eating what you made, which is the right way to run a cooking class.
Cork City Riviera
Thursday 4 June · 17:00 · Aye
Cocktail training with seafood tasting, part of the Cork Harbour Festival programme. Aye is a bar on MacCurtain Street and knows what it's doing with both. Good pairing for a Thursday afternoon.
Cruinniú na nÓg at Triskel
Saturday 6 June · From 10:00 · Triskel Arts Centre and Triskel Sample Project Space
Triskel runs a full Cruinniú na nÓg day across both its spaces: photography workshops with Chris Finnegan in the morning at the Sample Project Space, printmaking with Aoife Claffey in the afternoon, and creative workshops throughout the day at the arts centre. All free. Part of Ireland's national creativity day for young people — check the Cork City Council website for the full city programme.
Cork City Otter Walk
Wednesday 3 June · 19:00 · Cork (check listing for exact meeting point)
An evening walk along the riverbank in search of otters, part of the Cork Harbour Festival. Cork is one of the few Irish cities where otters are a genuine possibility. Bring binoculars.
Come and Try Kayaking
Friday 5 June · 18:00 · Phoenix Kayak Club, Lee Road
A beginners' taster session on the River Lee organised through Cork Harbour Festival. Boats and wet gear provided, small groups, advance booking required. A reasonable way to spend a Friday evening.
Rave For Roofs
Thursday 4 June · 20:00 · Sky Bar Cork
A fundraiser at the rooftop Sky Bar on Princes Street. Check the Eventbrite listing for the cause — the city views are the guaranteed part.
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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