Kila
Greetings from Safe Harbour
Cork International Film Festival gets going on Thursday, and the rest of the week has plenty to fit around it.
The festival opens with Lucy Lost and runs to 22 November, with Triskel screening films every day from Friday. Over at Cork Arts Theatre, Stef Smith's Girl in the Machine starts its run on Thursday too.
Kíla, whose music is on the soundtracks to The Secret of Kells and Wolfwalkers, are in Macroom on Saturday, and Paddy Casey is in Mitchelstown the same night. On Sunday, reggae band Yes "i" take over Crane Lane Theatre as part of the Cork Heritage Pubs Ska & Reggae Festival.
This is our pick of what's on this week. As always for a full event list check out the complete guide.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Cork International Film Festival
Thursday 12 to Sunday 22 November · Multiple city venues, including The Everyman and MTU Cork School of Music
Friday 13 to Sunday 22 November · Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street / Christchurch, Cork
The 71st edition shows more than 200 films and opens with Lucy Lost. Rupert Everett, Allen Leech, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Céline Sciamma are among the guests, and the programme includes the Irish premiere of Julián, from Louise Bagnall of Cartoon Saloon.
Family screenings include The Cat in the Hat and a dog-friendly Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Triskel has films every day from Friday 13, and Lizzie Borden is there on Saturday 14 for a discussion with Pat Murphy.
Kíla
Saturday 14 November · 20:00 · Briery Gap Arts Centre, Main Street, Macroom, Co. Cork
Irish-language lyrics and traditional instruments, whistles, fiddles, uilleann pipes and bodhrán, meet global percussion and electric guitars in the music of this band, who formed at school in the late 1980s. They collaborated with composer Bruno Coulais on the soundtracks to The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers, and won an IFTA for Best Original Score for Arracht.
Girl in the Machine
Thursday 12 to Saturday 21 November · Cork Arts Theatre, Cork
Polly is an overworked corporate lawyer. When Owen gives her a headset called Black Box to help her relax, she is drawn into a seductive and potentially deadly virtual world, while protests against the technology grow outside.
Stef Smith's play runs 70 minutes with no interval. Evening shows are at 20:00, and Saturday 14 and Saturday 21 also have a 14:30 matinee.
Blender
Thursday 12 November · 21:00 · Crane Lane Theatre
A mix of originals and contemporary jazz, drawing on the styles of Joshua Redmon, Roy Hargrove and Huntertones. Diamond, a Cork singer, rapper and trumpeter, joins as special guest.
Black Dog: DJ Bdc
Friday 13 November · 00:00 · The Vicarstown
Black Dog's DJ BDC mixes deep house, rock, electro, techno, dubstep, drum and bass, jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop and lo-fi.
Dezperado: A Tribute To The Eagles
Friday 13 November · 20:00 · Carrigaline Court Hotel
Hotel California, Desperado and Take It Easy, played by an 11-piece band with seven vocalists and a live brass section. They also dip into solo songs from Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Cantate Choir as special guests.
Proceeds go to the Irish Cancer Society and the Carrigaline & District Lions Club.
KhakiKid
Friday 13 November · 19:00 · Cyprus Avenue
Dublin rapper KhakiKid, who has an Irish-Libyan background, mixes jazz, alt-rap, rock, house and electronica. His latest project, Girl Bites Dog, pairs alt-rap with punk energy and looks at relationships and emotional complexity.
M A D D E E P
Friday 13 November · Dali, Cork City
Paddy Casey
Saturday 14 November · 20:00 · Saint George's Arts and Heritage Centre, Mitchelstown
A live night with the Irish artist behind the albums Amen (So Be It), Living and Addicted to Company, Part 1.
The Forge DJs
Saturday 14 November · 18:00 · Connolly's of Leap, Leap, Co. Cork
A collective of vinyl and digital DJs from The Forge at Ma Murphy's in Bantry. The night starts with relaxed soul, funk, reggae and hip hop, then builds in tempo as it goes on.
ØXN
Saturday 14 November · 20:00 · Savoy Theatre, Cork
Reggae Sundays with Live Band Yes “i” and DJ Gwada Mike
Sunday 15 November · 21:00 · Crane Lane Theatre
Yes "i" play roots reggae with sax, keys, bass, drums and vocals, and DJ Gwada Mike spins records alongside them. The night is part of the Cork Heritage Pubs Ska & Reggae Festival 2026.
Galaxy Lantern Evening at O’Sho
Tuesday 10 November · 19:00 to 20:30 · O'Sho, Cork
Make a lit paper-and-wood lantern on a cosmos theme and decorate it with your own astronomical art. Artist K.A. Jagai leads the session, drawing on historical astronomical art and recent Hubble Space Telescope images, as part of O'Sho's Offline Tuesdays series.
If Pigeons Turned to Gold
Friday 13 November · 17:00 · Triskel Arts Centre
Pepa Lubojacki's documentary follows her brother and two cousins, who have ended up on the street facing addiction, and asks whether family saves or destroys us. It won Best Documentary at the 2026 Berlinale.
A Bigger Picture talk follows, on breaking inherited patterns and ways out of addiction.
Fred Cooke and Guests
Saturday 14 November · 20:30 · Cork Comedy Club, City Limits, 16 Coburg St, Cork
Fred Cooke headlines a night at City Limits with guests. Tommy Tiernan has said of him: "I love Fred, I think he has the real spirit of the clown in him."
Pottery and Prosecco
Sunday 15 November · 13:00 to 15:00 · O'Sho, Cork
Glóthach Ceramics of West Cork run a workshop where you hand-build your own clay mask with a glass of prosecco in hand. The mask is fired afterwards and can be collected from O'Sho about a week later.
Water in Motion: From Orbit to Air
Tuesday 10 November · CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork city
An interactive Science Week experience on water in space and on Earth, and in the tiny droplets in the air we breathe. A demonstration from the MASK research project shows how those particles move and how wearing a mask affects their spread.
Science at the Marina
Saturday 14 November · 11:00 to 16:00 · Marina Market, Cork
Scientists from Cork city, county and beyond bring interactive games, hands-on experiments, demonstrations and competitions for families. A Quiet Hour from 10:00 gives a low-sensory option.
The Cork Record and CD Fair
Sunday 15 November · 12:00 to 17:00 · Crane Lane Theatre
New traders and plenty of new acquisitions for your crate digging, in records and CDs.
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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