John O’Brien: ‘I’ve always been about making things that move people’The Cork artist and his partner, librettist Éadaoin O’Donoghue, have written a new opera, Deirdre and the Sons of UsnaSat Jan 18 2020 - 05:00
Cinderella review: Like being slapped in the face by a rainbowPlus our reviews of all the best Christmas pantos – and the ones to avoidWed Dec 11 2019 - 11:45
The Red Iron review: The All Ireland, a suicide, and a group of friends’ lacerated heartsJim Nolan’s play is vehemently localised to Waterford, but his achievement is that at its core it is a piece about anywhereMon Nov 18 2019 - 13:45
How It Is (Part 2): Beckettian murmurs in the existential mudTheatre review: Judy Hegarty Lovett directs Gare St Lazare Ireland in a world premiereMon Sept 16 2019 - 12:44
Appreciation: Robert Travers focused on social and cultural tourismHis genealogical inheritance stemmed from the nephew of the poet Edmund SpenserMon Jul 01 2019 - 10:00
State millions and good memories: Bringing a grand house back to lifeAfter a careful refurb, Doneraile Court is open to visitors after being closed for decadesSat Jun 29 2019 - 00:00
Evening Train review: Two young men on the edge of escape, one reckless, the other desperateIt’s the simplicity of the story that resonates in this musical based on Mick Flannery’s concept albumMon Jun 17 2019 - 14:05
The Stalls review: original, confident and hilariousSkilful skewering as opera ensemble shows audience exactly what it’s likeFri Jun 14 2019 - 15:30
Event of the Week: Cork Midsummer FestivalTheatre, music and literature galore is to be found across the city from the 13th JuneSat Jun 08 2019 - 05:00
Light A Penny Candle review: Binchy deserves better, but it will be a successWhy out of all the Binchy books did Breda Cash Productions walk into this one?Thu Apr 18 2019 - 12:37
Open season: Grand Irish homes that welcome visitors – and get a tax break‘It isn’t a handout. We’ve earned it,’ say owners of some of Ireland’s best-known housesSat Apr 13 2019 - 06:00
The Big Fellow review: A lesson in what happens when you stop teaching historyBased on Frank O’Connor’s life of Michael Collins, Declan Gorman’s play misses its markTue Mar 12 2019 - 16:08
The architectural revival transforming Cork’s landscapeDevelopments along the quays helping to advertise opportunities offered by cityWed Mar 06 2019 - 05:50
Prime Cut double bill review: A grim struggle couched in defiant humourDespite, or perhaps because of, their differences ‘Every Day I wake Up Hopeful’ and ‘East Belfast Boy’ share several attributesWed Feb 06 2019 - 12:33
‘One of the biggest challenges facing us is to define Irish identity in a post-Brexit world’New Heritage Council CEO Virginia Teehan brings plenty of experience to the table from her time at UCC and Hunt MuseumThu Jan 31 2019 - 05:00
Panto review: Aladdin at the Cork Opera HouseTrevor Ryan crafts a show which is any-time-of-the-year marvellousMon Dec 10 2018 - 11:26
Panto review: Cinderella at the Everyman Theatre, CorkThe more implausible the better in this fresh, colourful and wildly funny pantomimeMon Dec 10 2018 - 11:25
Great second chance as northern estate slowly reveals her secretsMontalto House in Co Down is a magical place for visitors with its trails and woodland paths and gracious spaces for partiesSat Nov 10 2018 - 00:00
The Nightingale and the Rose review: An opera that rescues Oscar Wilde from whimsyJohn O’Brien’s adaptation of the writer’s short story glows with colour and surpriseMon Oct 15 2018 - 10:10
The Lonesome West review: A tale of anarchic rural communitiesCrude hilarity arises from casual revelations- why is the Catholic church so forgiving of murder and so punitive of suicideFri Aug 03 2018 - 09:55
The Wizard of Oz: Joyful production blazes with power of originalReview: Engaging principal performers takes ownership of material at Cork Opera HouseMon Jul 23 2018 - 11:45
Margaret Drabble: ‘What you choose to see is important, to catch the spirit of change’The eminent novelist has always shared Virginia Woolf’s ‘passion to describe’Sat Jul 14 2018 - 06:00
The women transforming Cork into a city of art and cultureCollaboration sees Cork Opera House become a practical focus for UCC studentsWed Jun 20 2018 - 05:00
The Numbered review: an interrogation of our futile anxiety over deathElias Canetti’s play presents a world where everyone knows the age at which they’ll dieTue Jun 19 2018 - 14:00
Cappoquin House is worth a detour in WaterfordBurned down and rebuilt in the 1920s the house was renovated with salvage materials from far and wide by the Keane family who have lived there for generations. The gardens are at their best in May and visitors are welcomeSat May 12 2018 - 06:00
Extending Nano Nagle’s legacy beyond convent wallsRarely can finance and idealism have coalesced so convincingly as in this exciting Cork developmentThu Mar 08 2018 - 16:00
Making a new home from an old factory by the sea in west CorkClosing their knitwear business was the cue for Bebhinn and Robert Marten to move into their Baltimore premisesSat Feb 17 2018 - 07:00
How It Is review: A flawless conjunction of acting and stagingJudy Hegarty Lovett directs Gare St Lazare Ireland’s Samuel Beckett productionFri Feb 02 2018 - 15:30
Annes Grove: Saying goodbye to the family pile after 400 yearsThe Annesleys have been at the Co Cork estate since the early 1600s but as the OPW takes over, it’s time to move onSat Dec 30 2017 - 05:00
Snapshots of Cork street life in all its 1960s gloryAlong with running a tea empire, Anthony Barry captured Cork's life and timesSat Dec 16 2017 - 05:00
Dancing at Lughnasa review: All promises are sealed with a maybeBrian Friel’s classic returns to the stageThu Aug 10 2017 - 12:00
Annie review: The sun comes out as we drink our tearsA lavish, pitch-perfect production with a patina of pathosWed Jul 26 2017 - 10:47
Far Away review: Spike Island becomes a dystopia once againCaryl Churchill’s short, brutal play is brilliantly realisedWed Jun 21 2017 - 14:06
Futureproof review: Profound dilemmas of identity and autonomyCommitted cast struggles with ponderous phrases and some awkward arrangementsTue Jun 20 2017 - 10:31
Spreading the word about our best-kept hospitality secrets‘The Hidden Ireland’ book shows 20 country houses evolving elegantly to meet modern needsWed Jun 07 2017 - 00:00
The Same review: Enda Walsh puts two sisters behind barsWalsh’s intense show takes place in Old Cork PrisonTue Feb 14 2017 - 15:35
Autumn Royal review: Kevin Barry shows there is no escape from homeTwo siblings trapped by an aged parent dream a future far away in this effective, claustrophobic productionTue Jan 31 2017 - 14:23
My mother, Molly Keane: caustic chronicler of the lost Anglo-Irish worldThe great, caustic and conflicted chronicler of a lost society of big houses, hunting and celebrity, Molly Keane comes to life again in a biography by her daughter Sally PhippsSat Jan 07 2017 - 05:00
Red Riding Hood review: a scream from start to finishAn urban wolf, costume changes at the speed of light and enough noise to blow a house downTue Dec 20 2016 - 12:43
Cinderella review: winged horses, colour and bombastBig set pieces propel an otherwise routine show loaded with innuendo and noiseMon Dec 12 2016 - 16:14
Making the most of Annes Grove’s magicRestored gardens of the Co Cork demesne to re-open in 2017Thu Sept 08 2016 - 02:18
Prodijig the Revolution review: irresistible revolutionary energyAlan Kenefick’s combination of Irish dance, pop and hip hop has an irresistible revolutionary energyWed Jul 27 2016 - 16:07
The Weir review: McPherson’s language gets lost in the flowCareless direction means Decadent’s production never becomes the sum of its partsWed Jun 29 2016 - 14:01
Sacrifice at Easter review: From the bizarre to the beautifulCork’s Midsummer Festival’s centrepiece is a triumphWed Jun 29 2016 - 11:40
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A teenage cast uncover fresh magic and mischiefThis production takes a leap of faith with its young actors, and gets a fine returnThu Jun 23 2016 - 15:50
Jungle Book review: Hip hop and circus skills create an urban parableForget Kipling and Disney for a sparkling production that counters colonial and sexist conventionsMon Jun 20 2016 - 14:20
Utopia Ltd review: Two unstructured hours with no end in sightThis open-air festival exploration of colonialism, racism, and immigration is marred by technical issues and teenagers celebrating the end of examsMon Jun 20 2016 - 14:20
Behind the ramparts: Pat McCabe’s play set in a world of its ownCorcadorca’s latest production, ‘Sacrifice at Easter’, is set in Cork’s 17th-century Elizabeth Fort and the play is as much about the site as the scriptThu Jun 16 2016 - 01:00
The story of Ballymaloe: Normans, royals and tomato chutneyA new book charts the 1,000-year history of the grand country houseSat Jun 11 2016 - 04:57
The Birthday Party review: All talk, low actionDread that shaped Pinter’s play never materialises in this new productionThu May 19 2016 - 01:00