About Us

Culture Night Cork City is one evening in the year where the arts & cultural institutions of our city throw open their doors to all, offering a FREE taste of the programs they offer year-round.

Culture Night Cork City is brought to you by the Arts Council, in partnership with the Arts Office of Cork City Council.

Culture Night Cork City appreciates the support of our partners:

CCC_Arts-Office

Press releases:

Save the date: Culture Night 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lord Mayor Cllr Fergal Dennehy with Andy Killian, Abbey Blake, Ricky Dineen and Arann Blake launching Cork Culture Night on the rooftop of North Main Street. Photographer – Darragh Kane)

Culture Night Cork City 2025: How Will You Culture Night?

www.CorkCity.ie/CultureNight

A hugely anticipated, annual, all-Ireland event, the 20^th edition of Culture Night will take place on Friday, September 19^th. Culture Night/Oíche Chultúir celebrates culture, creativity, and the arts, and seeks to actively promote the belief that our rich and varied culture is alive, treasured, and nurtured in people’s lives, on the day and every day. On September 19^th across Cork City, doors will open late with a vibrant programme of special events and one-of-a-kind experiences - all completely free.

“As autumn settles in and the evenings draw shorter, we can look forward to one of the real highlights of the season, Culture Night. For one night only, Cork City comes alive in a special way, with creativity and energy flowing through our cultural and artistic centres, and often in the most unexpected of locations too,” says Lord Mayor of Cork, Fergal Dennehy.

“What makes this year particularly exciting is the vibrant programme unfolding in the communities that circle the city island. Each neighbourhood has its own unique story to tell, its own traditions and talents to share, and I am delighted to see them celebrated so fully.

I look forward to experiencing the richness of these local voices and perspectives, as well as enjoying the incredible work of our much-loved arts venues. Culture Night reminds us of the power of creativity to bring us together, to connect us with our roots, and to showcase the extraordinary cultural life of our city.”

From music to visual arts, with literature, dance and more, Culture Night is an unmissable event. Highlights this year include:

Cian Sweeney - As If I Always Knew Presents: A Piano Meditation: Join Irish musician Cian Sweeney for a unique semi-improvised piano experience that blends mindful presence with live music. As If I Always Knew invites audiences to step away from the digital noise of the modern world, creating a space for collective mindfulness through an immersive musical experience.

This mellow performance takes place in the Concert Hall of City Hall, which, as always on Culture Night, serves as a hive of activity. A variety of choirs will entertain on the plaza, a multi-panel art piece will be on display, and Millennium Hall sees a fun show called Squish, Stomp, Spin – The Magic of Stim.

Kaught at the Karpark: A celebration of Cork’s influential late ’70s/early ’80s punk and post-punk scene at North Main Street carpark. Inspired by bands like Nun Attax, Microdisney and Stump, the night will showcase work from current local musicians on the scene. Presented by Seanie Buttons with Leagues O’Toole of Foggy Notions, these tickets will be snapped up by both those who remember this heyday and by new audiences curious about this significant phase of Cork’s musical heritage.

Community hubs across Cork will be alive with activity, from Blackpool’s cultural talks, global food tastings and céilí, to Togher and Ballyphehane’s music, dance and craft demos. Mayfield will host an outdoor celebration of food, music and games, while Churchfield showcases international song and dance from Bolivia, Mexico, Ukraine and Ireland. Additionally, artwork from the Mahon Community Art project will be displayed at City Hall.

My First Confession Frank O’Connor: Pupils of Scoil Oilibhéir, Dublin Hill, perform a specially written musical adaptation of O’Connor’s famous short story, that was initially created for the schools 40^th anniversary celebrations. Taking place in the very setting where My First Confession was written, St Patrick’s Church, the performance will be introduced with a short talk on O’Connor’s life and his connections to the church and surrounding area.

Cork City Library will host a wide-ranging programme featuring exhibitions, live music, theatre, readings, children’s storytelling and creative workshops. Highlights include the Rory Gallagher-inspired Kickback City exhibition, a performance of The Ancient Mariner, music from Áine O’Gorman, and fun, interactive events for families.

The public will also be able to enjoy Irish language activities, in association with an tOireachtas, including joining award-winning sean-nós singer and highly regarded teacher Sorcha de Róiste for a unique workshop celebrating traditional Irish song, and Amhrán an Mara (Songs of the Sea), a celebration of maritime songs in both Irish and English.

Some events on Culture Night require booking, please check the website for details. Full programme details at: www.CorkCity.ie/CultureNight

Keep up to date with programme additions and breaking news by following the conversation online:

#CultureNight

#OicheChultúir

#OneNightforAll

#OícheDarSaol

#CultureNightCorkCity

CULTURE NIGHT CORK CITY

Website: www.CorkCity.ie/CultureNight

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CultureNightCorkCity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorkCityArts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CorkCityArts

Culture Night Cork City is brought to you by Cork City Council in partnership with the Arts Council.

ENDS.

PR Contact:

Jean Kearney jean@kearneymelia.com

Molly Barker molly@kearneymelia.com

Culture Night Late 2025: Kaught at the Karpark

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kaught at the Karpark: A post-punk celebration for

Culture Night Late

Presented by Seanie Buttons & Foggy Notions

9pm Friday 19^th September, North Main Street Car Park

Final free tickets released 12pm Friday 5^th September

Ticket & Info Link

A unique celebration of Cork’s post-punk legacy will take place onFriday, September 19th 2025, as part ofCulture Night Late. Cork City was a cultural hotbed of Irish absurdist punk music back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Bands like Nun Attax (5 Go Down to the Sea), Microdisney and Stump honed their – wonderfully bizarre – craft in the Arcadia on the Lower Road, when Elvera Butler hosted gigs in the Downtown Kampus.

Celebrating these hugely influential artists of Cork’s punk/post-punk period, Kaught at the Karpark is more than simply a lookback to the glory days. It will also showcase current music by band members who are working musicians today, and of course celebrate those like Mick Lynch, Finbarr Donnelly and Cathal Coughlan, gone but not forgotten, who left an indelible mark on their hometown.

The event has been curated by Seanie Buttons, who have been producing a documentary about the Cork post-punk scene for several years entitled Leeside Creatures. “What started out as a labour of love, paying tribute to a group of musicians that have inspired and excited us, has turned into a large-scale feature documentary.

“This gig will be the final scene. A big climactic reunion gig celebrating and paying tribute to one of the most important chapters in Cork's music culture. For us, this performance is the culmination of a story we're trying to tell,” says Abbey Blake of Seanie Buttons.

“Culturally, Cork sometimes feels like a parallel universe and these are some of the most significant figures in it. As much as it’s an opportunity to remember people like Cathal, Mick and Finbarr, it’s also a chance to celebrate these guys who are still here, still expressing themselves through the unique idioms, characters and often surreal perspective of this city,” says Leagues O’Toole of Foggy Notions.

The evening will feature performances from some of the scene’s most influential figures:

…and NUN came back– Formed to commemorate Finbarr Donnelly, this occasional band brings the music of Finbarr to life, including songs from Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea?, and Beethoven. The lineup includes Tom Healy (vocals), Ricky Dineen (guitar), Liam Heffernan (guitar, vocals), Humphrey Murphy (bass), and Ian Walsh (drums).

Sean O’Hagan, co-founder of Microdisney and founder of The High Llamas, has spent 40 years in music as a performer, writer, and collaborator. He has worked with artists including Gilberto Gil, Paul Weller, King Krule, and The Coral, as well as scoring six feature films. The High Llamas latest release,Hey Panda, is an extraordinary display of modern pop music-making doubling as a deep listening experience.

Big Boy Foolish– Post-punk duo Ricky Dineen and Liam Heffernan formed organically from an old friendship and a hunger to play music. Emerging from past projects including Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea?, and Nun Came Back, their debut albumStall the Ball(2024) showcases new music with the same boundary-pushing spirit that made Cork post-punk legendary.

Kaught at the Karpark celebrates not only the music but also the cultural impact these artists have had on Cork, helping shape the city’s vibrant creative identity. With a view of the Shandon Bells and the city spread out below, this one-night-only rooftop concert promises a truly iconic Cork moment.

The remainder of tickets for this free event will go on sale this Friday (5^th September) at 12pm, and will be available via https://culturenight.ie/event/north-main-st-sc-car-park-kaught-at-the-karpark/. Early booking is advised!

Keep up to date with Culture Night programme additions and breaking news by following the conversation online: