Busy night planned for North Cork with more than 100 events taking place at venues across the region

NOW a staple on the Irish events calendar Culture night has been proven to be instrumental in inspiring individual communities to shine the spotlight on the wide, varied and fascinating cultural heritage that has made Ireland the envy of other countries across the globe.

From 5pm to 11pm (and sometimes even later) people will be able to immerse themselves in a programme of events and be part of a very special evening celebrating culture, creativity and the arts in all their forms.

A full programme of events has been planned for the Rebel county and city, offering people of all ages a superb opportunity to immerse themselves in our history and rekindle their love of all things Cork.

With hundreds of events taking place in dozens of venues across Cork, there will be plenty on offering people a superb opportunity to immerse themselves in our history and rekindle their love of all things Cork - none of which will cost a single red cent.

As in previous years North Cork will be a hive of activity on Friday week and a carefully planned itinerary will allow people to take in many different events at various locations, expanding their appreciation of the region and its own, unique cultural identity.

From visual art to music, theatre and dance to literature to talks and tours the programme of events for the night is as broad as it is interesting – so there is no excuse for people not to get on the road and savour as much as they can of what is on offer.

There will be more than 110 events taking place at venues across the region on the night and it would be impossible to list them all in one single article.

Below is just a flavour of what people can expect on the night at locations from Charleville to Glanworth, from Millstreet to Mallow and from Newmarket to Kiskeam.

The Glen Theatre in Banteer will host an evening of song, music and storytelling, Charleville’s Schoolyard Theatre & Arts Centre will have a night hosted by Ceoltóirí Clárach and the Fermoy Musical Society will launch their production of ‘ South Pacific’ in the local community centre.

For years, the old Kiskeam Brass Band rehearsed by marching through the village using pitchforks with lit sods of turf to show the way. The new Kiskeam Brass Band will recreate this scene stirring memories of times past.

Milford Community Hall will also host an evening of traditional song and dance and Mitchelstown Library will host a performance by Len Graham one of Ireland’s best known traditional singers.

In Newmarket Library, lucky culture vultures will learn about the rich musical tradition of Sliabh Luachra and in Millstreet, there will be a recital by the Millstreet Pipe Band in the town’s Square at 7pm.

To view the full programme of events taking place across North Cork, and indeed the entire county, can be viewed at www.culturenightcorkcounty.ie.

The Mercy Heritage Centre in Charleville will host ‘Peepholes To The Past’ from 5pm-7pm on Culture Night. The event will incorporate a selection of block mounted photos from the Lawrence collection and story boards exploring the rich history of Charleville and recalling memories of some of its famous people and places. Some artefacts from the permanent collection will also be exhibited as well as a few ‘mystery’ treasures. Described as a ‘hidden treasure’ the Provincial Mercy Heritage Centre still manages to attract more than 1,000 visitors each year.