The Cork Folk Festival is preparing for a spectacular 45th edition from 2-6^th October!

A highlight of this year’s festival will be a very special 45th Anniversary Concert at Cork Opera House, featuring virtuoso fiddler Frankie Gavin presenting the latest incarnation of De Dannan with Catherine Mc Hugh on piano, Ian Kinsella on guitar, Diarmuid Ó Meachair on melodeon and Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz on cello.

Frankie Gavin, from Galway, Ireland, is one of the most visionary and inspiring virtuoso Irish fiddlers in the world; the founder, heart and core of the legendary band De Dannan.

​Coming from a musical family, Frankie Gavin has played fiddle and flute since his teenage years. At the age of seventeen, he won All-Ireland competitions for fiddle and flute.

Originally influenced by the great Irish and American-Irish fiddle players such as James Morrison, he later found himself playing with stars: The Rolling Stones, Stephane Grappelli, James Galway and Yehudi Menuhin, and for celebrity audiences including four American presidents: J. F. K on his 1962 visit to Ireland, followed later by Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama.

Perhaps most importantly, the name Frankie Gavin is synonymous with De Dannan, the globally celebrated band he founded with Alec Finn in the mid-1970s. Over the years, there have been a numerous star-studded line-ups, and 2023 saw the birth of the latest incarnation of the band. De Dannan now comprises Frankie Gavin on fiddle and flute, Catherine Mc Hugh on piano, Ian Kinsella on guitar, Diarmuid Ó Meachair on melodeon and Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz on vocals and cello.

​Since their formation, the new band have played at Wickham Festival (UK), Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional Music Festival, The All-Ireland Fleadh, Mujllingar, Tonder Festivak (Denmark), and Belfast Tradfest.

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lightning, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by and seated next to a parent/guardian aged 18+

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control.

Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

 

Derek Ryan’s road to stardom is set to continue with his biggest concert tour to date.

After the resounding success of his recent nationwide Irish tour ‘Pure & Simple,’ Derek is back with a brand-new concert show for 2025.

Derek and his fantastic band are back on the road to perform material from Derek’s new album, along with his biggest chart-toppers ‘Hold On To Your Hat’ ‘Down On Your Uppers’ and ‘God’s Plan’, all of which have cemented his position as one of Ireland’s bestselling country singer/songwriters.

Special Guests to be announced.

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lightning, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by and seated next to a parent/guardian aged 18+

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

Mike Denver, one of Galway’s favourite sons is riding the crest of a wave.

His audience is vast throughout Ireland, North and South and he is now making inroads in the the UK with some sellout concerts in England and Scotland over the past couple of years.

With his excellent backing band Mike presents a two and a half hour high energy concert show which features all his hits including ‘Tommy K’, ‘Wasn’t that a Party’, ‘Galway Girl’, “Blown Away’, plus hits from the 60’s and 70’s.

Special Guest, the Legendary RED HURLEY.

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

Flash Harry presents a show that embraces the very essence of Queen’s live performances.

Audiences will see the band rocking out Queen’s greatest hits from ‘Radio Gaga’, to ‘We Are the Champions’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and everything in between. Quite simply it’s live music entertainment at its best.

The band Flash Harry has been celebrating the music of Queen for over 32 years! These days – to carve out a career of that length and sell more tickets now than at any time in their history – proves that this band can deliver. Their track record speaks volumes for the quality of the performances and the sheer entertainment value of their show.

After an amazing non-stop 32 years delivering unforgettable shows in top notch venues around the world, the reason for Flash Harry’s success is simple, it’s a show of hit after hit, delivered with everything you could want from a live performance: energy, enthusiasm, talent, passion and pure showmanship. The music of Queen is universal in its appeal, and has been the soundtrack of the last 50 years. Rarely will a show reach across generations and deliver as much as Flash Harry – a Celebration of the magic of Queen.

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

The Bee Gees’ music is still going strong, 65 Years after the band was formed by Maurice, Barry & Robin Gibb in 1958.

You may not be able to see the Bee Gees anymore, but you can see Nights on Broadway: The Bee Gees Story Live Concert Experience, a show which tells the fascinating story of the Bee Gees and their place in music history; you can listen to hit after hit from four decades of the incredible music penned by The Brothers Gibb!

Whether you favour the golden era of the 60s (Massachusetts, To Love Somebody), the dance floor hits of the 70s (Night Fever, Stayin’ Alive), the comeback hits of the 80s & 90s (You Win Again, Heartbreaker) or the string of hits they wrote for various artists along the way including Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion and Diana Ross (Woman in Love, Immortality, Chain Reaction), this show has something to entertain everyone!

This is a totally live concert experience which prides itself on musical and vocal authenticity, while the accompanying costume changes complement the show to give audiences a truly original experience. As well as their live theatre performances, the band has appeared on each of Ireland’s national television stations (RTÉ, TV3/Virgin Media, TG4).

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

Quality from beginning to end.

Commentators who thought that a sell-out run of shows celebrating his 80th year was a kind of grand finale certainly underestimated the man, his boundless energy and incredible staying power. It turns out that there’s a legion of loyal Phil Coulter fans who can’t get enough of the affable Derryman. They wanted to hear more of his music, his classic songs and his everchanging store of music biz stories. And what a store that is.

In this brand new show LEGACY he takes a fresh look back into 60 years at the top of his game – so much music, so many songs, so many new stories, distilled into two hours of vintage gold. Bringing their own special magic to the proceeding are his Special Guests George Hutton and Geraldine Branagan, proven favourites with Phil’s fans.

A show not to be missed!

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

The Irish Collection show will feature every single hit record Smokie have had and will give you a sample of some current albums they’ve made and which have been big chart hits for them in many European countries.
Last year alone, Smokie have toured Australia, South Africa, China and South Korea, bringing their unique Country Rock sound to hundreds of thousands of Smokie fans who still love their music after all these years!

Expect songs like “Something’s Been Making Me Blue”, “I’ll Meet You At Midnight”, “Don’t Play Your Rock ‘n’ Roll To Me”, If You Think You Know How To Love Me”, “Livin’ Next Door To Alice” “Wild Angels” “Oh Carol” “Needles and Pins” “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” “Mexican Girl” “For A Few Dollars More” “Rose A Lee” and indeed, many more.

It’s a show not to be missed, a sound and lighting spectacular, with Smokie proving once again just why they deserve the name of being one of the greatest “live” bands in the music business today!
Last time was a sell out…expect the very same again!

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.

The Ronan Collins Showband Show Reeling In the Showband Years has been a smash hit for the past 13 years, and we are delighted to say it returns once again to Cork Opera House in January 2025 to celebrate it’s amazing 14th year.

And what a line-up it is again in 2025!

RTÉ’s Ronan Collins is Host and Compare.

Ronan Collins “RTÉ’S Mr. Music” sings his renowned tributes to The Great Joe Dolan, The Eurovision, Dickie Rock and much more! Ronan has spent a lifetime in Showbiz. For many many years he has been Mister Music on RTÉ and continues to broadcast his music choices to the Country. But he has also garnered a huge following with his big voice, singing live with Dickie Rock and The Miami and heading The Showband Show since it started all those 13 years ago!

Gina From The Champions.

A Superstar of Showbiz. Gina and The Champions dominated the Showband era with multiple hit records and sold out shows right around the country for decades Her biggest hits included “Minnie Minnie”, “Do You Wanna Do It”, “You’re the Greatest Lover”, “Who Do You Wanna Be”, “Give Me Back My Love” and “Playing with Fire”, plus many more. They were voted Top Irish Pop Band in voters polls year after year over the period also. She still belts it out and sounds as great as ever!!

Keith and Lorraine McDonald.

This great Brother and Sister combination from one of the oldest musical families in Ireland. Their Father, Frankie was trumpet player with Joe Dolan for many years. Lorraine is one of the brightest talents to emerge from the late Showband era and Keith is a star in his own right!

Shaun O’Dowd.

We are delighted to welcome back Shaun to this year’s show! With his band “Ding-A-ling” he was one of the biggest drawing acts in Ireland right through the 70’s. He topped the charts for weeks with his smash hit records “You Are No Angel” and “It’s Good To See You” All you could ask for in an entertainer. An outstanding top class Artist!

Dave Lawlor.

This Tullamore man’s magnificent voice will capture you. Had a massive hit with his smash hit record ”Showband’s on Parade” in the Seventies!

The Conquerors Showband.

One of the greatest Showbands of them all and still packing them in everywhere they go. The Galway boys sang “Baby Blue” and many more hits.

And much more to be announced!

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SPECIAL EFFECTS: This production may contain Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights, Smoke and Haze.

AGE GUIDANCE: Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

*Performance schedule and times are subject to change and may be affected by illness or events beyond the producers’ or venues’ control. Performers, dates, times, prices, and fees are subject to change without notice.