Cork a Safe Harbour for a superb festival

Cork hit all the right notes with its unique music event, write Eoghan O’Sullivan and Des O’Driscoll

“WE need our festivals to surprise us,” shouted Justin Vernon of Bon Iver from the stage of Cork Opera House on Friday night. It’s a statement that seemed to sum up the philosophy behind the second incarnation of the city’s Sounds From A Safe Harbour.

The event mixed an amazing array of music with a unique ethos that filtered from the organisers at the heart of the festival right through the crowds who packed the dozens of venues.