PERFECT 10
HERE’S OUR TOP TEN THINGS TO DO IN CORK THIS WEEK
ROUND OF 2017 WITH A WALK IN DONERAILE PARK
THE public have been invited to round off 2017 next Sunday with a gentle stroll around the grounds of arguably one of Cork’s most majestic and scenic parks.
The free guided tour of Doneraile Park will commence at 2.30pm on Sunday from the playground car par and will take approximately 90 minutes.
Hosted by trained volunteers, the walk will offer people the chance to stroll across some of the parks 500 acres from the Deer Park to the Court Yard and finish with a refreshing cuppa in the tea rooms.
Along the way people will walk through four-centuries of gardening history, hear the story of the St Leger’s and learn how they shaped the park that we see today.
HOTHOUSE FLOWERS TO PLAY ‘LIVE AT ST LUKE’S
VETERAN Irish rockers Hothouse Flowers will play ‘Like at St Luke’s’ in Cork City tonight (Thursday) with support from special guest Lisa Lambe.
Led by mercurial frontman Liam Ó Maonlaí the band, which this year celebrated 30-years in the music business, has lost none of the spirit that drove them to become one of Ireland’s most popular bands of the 1980’s.
Since then their heady mix of folk, rock, gospel and soul has matured and developed into a distinctive and unique sound. While the band has released numerous records, their sound is best captured live with the intimate surroundings of St Luke’s set to provide the perfect backdrop for them.
Tickets for the gig from www.likeatstlukes. com priced at €27.50 plus booking fee.
GRAND NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH ‘THE FRANKS’
LEESIDE musical legends The Frank and Walters will bring 2018 to a rousing close when they play the Cork Opera House New Years Eve, with support from Ian Whitty and the Exchange.
The special gig will see the band perform ‘Grand Parade’, their second album, and considered by many fans to be their finest in full, in addition to a selection of live favourites from their extensive back catalogue.
While The Franks have released a further six-albums over the past 20-years and continued to break new ground, for many fans of a certain age ‘ Grand Parade’ remains the LP that sends them into a misty-eyed bout of nostalgia.
Tickets for The Frank and Walter’s New Year’s Eve gig at the Opera House are available from the venue on 021 427 0022 priced at €25.
GRAMMY NOMINATED MYLES BACK IN CORK
CORK singer/songwriter Myles Gaffney, who was this year long-listed for two Grammy Awards, will be on home turf next Thursday night (December 28) for a gig at Cyprus Avenue.
Despite being a relative newcomer to song-writing, Gaffney has already release two albums and has penned more than 50 songs, including one about Roy Keane that amassed more than 13,00 YouTube hits.
His style of music was perfectly encapsulated in the two Grammy nominated tracks ‘Song for Fallen Mothers’ - a song about one woman’s experience at the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home and ‘Come Hold My Hand Son’, which is about his late mother.
Tickets for what promises to be a great night of music and banter from www.eventbrite.ie priced at €12.50.
JACK L ON NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE EVERYMAN
CRITICALLY acclaimed Irish crooner Jack L is set to ring in 2018 in style with a gig at Cork’s Everyman Palace theatre on New Year’s Eve.
One of Ireland’s most respected singers, Jack Lukeman has a voice once famously described by The Guardian as “a mixture of all the great voices of the 20th Century”.
Hos most recent album ‘Magic Days’, his first self-penned release for almost five-years proving he still a true master of his craft.
A consummate live performer, Jack L’s style is perfectly suited to a historic venue such as the Everyman Palace offering Cork fans a perfect opportunity to welcome in the New Year.
Tickets to the show, priced at €28, are available from the venue on 021 4501673 or at www. everymanpalace.com.
TOP U2 TRIBUTE ACT SET FOR WHITE HORSE GIG
ACCLAIMED tribute band Us2 will return to Cork on Friday night for a festive ‘Unplugged Acoustic’ show celebrating the 30th anniversary of U2’s seminal Joshua Tree album.
In 2010 the band hung up their boots after a decade of touring the globe shadowing U2’s enormously successful 360 Tour, saying ‘we simply could not top what we’ve already achieved.
However, the lands have decided to dust down their instruments one more time, bringing their ‘unforgettable fire’ to the White Horse for one vibrant and intimate show.
The audience can expect note perfect renditions of U2’s most famous tracks from a band described by Joe Duffy as being “the closet thing to the real thing you will ever see.”
Tickets from www.ticketweb.ie priced at €11.50.
REGGAE AND SKA WITH THE SERVICE AT THE LANE
THE Cork Reggae and Ska Club will host a gig a free New Year’s Eve gig at the Crane Lane Theatre featuring a typically high-octane set by popular local band The Service.
The band has been playing skanking sets featuring the best of Ska, Reggae, 2-Tone and Rocksteady to appreciative audiences since 1994, packing out venues across the country with their easy sound and enigmatic stage presence.
Their two-hour set pays homage to some of the great Ska and Reggae legends covering songs by Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat and Madness.
A live performance by The Service is guaranteed to get people’s feet stomping, head’s bopping and pulses racing.
KILA CELEBRATING 30-YEARS ON THE ROAD
KILA will bring their 30th anniversary winter tour to the intimate surroundings of De Barra’s Folk Club in Clonakilty tonight (Thursday).
Their street origins, combined with the their capacity to draw from other musical influences has given the band a raw edge that, in spite of various line up changes over two decades, they have managed to develop into a unique sound quite unlike any other Irish music group.
With their blend of Gaelic poetry, folk instruments and dance floor beats, Kila has transcended the boundaries of traditional Irish music to create an inspirational, free-wheeling fusion that has propelled them to the forefront of the international world music scene.
Tickets cost €22.50 from www.tickets.ie and early booking is advisable as demand is expected to be huge.
JOHN B’S MATCHMAKER AT THE PALACE THEATRE
TICKETS are selling fast for a one-off performance of John B Keane’s classic play ‘ The Matchmaker’ at the Palace Theatre in Fermoy on Saturday January 6.
Starring comedian Jon Kenny and legendary Irish actor Mary McAvoy, the play is a revival of Michael Scott’s iconic production of one of Keane’s most celebrated works.
It follows the efforts of Dicky Mick Dicky O’Connor to make matches for the lonely and lovelorn from all parts of the country. At the centre of this celebrated production is John B. Keane’s marvellous and mischievous wit coupled by his unparalleled way with words.
Tickets for the show are available from 025 30242 priced at €23.
BRENDAN TO SHINE AT THE GLENEAGLE
THE inimitable Brendan Shine will delight his fans when he welcomes in 2018 with a concert at the Gleneagle Ballroom in Killarney next Tuesday night.
Shine has released more than 50 albums and has had 45 hit singles during a glittering career that has taken him from his Co Westmeath home to major concert halls around the world.
He shows no sign of slowing down , last year releasing a ‘Greatest Hits’ album including classic such as ‘Abbeyscrule’, ‘How Much Time’ and ‘Do You Want Your Oul Lobby Washed Down’.
He will play these and a whole selection of other popular songs during next Tuesday’s concert.
Tickets for next Monday nights concert are available from www.ticketmaster.ie priced at €15.