10 things to see at Cork Folk Festival 2025, from walking tours to 'bog jazz'
Matt Cranitch plays at An Spailpín Fánach on Thursday. Picture: Eamon Ward
An Spailpín Fánach
9.30pm
Any Old Time, consisting of Matt Cranitch on the fiddle, Dave Hennessy on the melodeon and Mick Daly on the banjo, will perform at An Spailpín Fánach on Thursday night.
Specialising in traditional music from Cork and beyond, the band’s music is rooted in the Irish tradition and incorporates elements of American old-time music.
Special guest on the night will be Donie Carroll, a musician, singer, actor and philanthropist, famous in Cork for his appearances with Finnegan's Wake, and accordion and melodeon player Ruby Falvey.
Coughlan’s Bar
7.30pm
Eoin ‘Stan’ O’Sullivan of The Ceili Allstars and Shane Murphy of The Guilteens, who have teamed up as a genre-bending duo exploring the wild edges of Sliabh Luachra fiddle music, armed with electric guitar and drums, will play Coughlan’s Bar on Friday.
Traditional musician Sorcha de Róiste, known for her sean-nós singing and her contributions to folk music, will also perform at the venue.
Triskel Christchurch
8pm
A true legend of Irish music, Matt Molloy, who has been a member of The Bothy Band, Planxty and The Chieftains, will play Triskel Christchurch on Friday night.
Fiddle and banjo player John Carty, who has established himself among the elite of Irish traditional musicians, will also perform.
Also performing on the night will be Lisa Knapp, who has carved a unique space in the British folk scene with her interpretations of traditional songs and original compositions, and Gerry Diver, who has made a name for himself as an innovative composer, producer, and virtuoso.
An Spailpín Fánach
9pm
Craobh Rua will perform their Irish traditional music at An Spailpín Fánach on Friday, with their distinctive Northern style creating a dynamic and textured sound.
The band features Desy McCabe on the uilleann pipes, Brian Connolly on the banjo, Eoghan McKenna on the fiddle, James Carson on the mandolin and Jordan Lively on guitar and vocals.
Niamh Parsons, who has come to be known as one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music, will also perform on the night and will be accompanied on guitar by Dubliner Graham Dunne.
Shandon
11am
A walking tour exploring Cork’s northside history and song with Former Lord Mayor councillor Kieran McCarthy will take off from Shandon at 11am on Saturday.
McCarthy has created a series of walking tours across the south east ward and in the city’s suburbs and city centre, focusing on the landscapes, built heritage, and memories.
He is joined by John Murphy, a prolific songwriter and a member of the Cork Singers Club.
An Spailpín Fánach
5pm
Facilitator of Gals at Play, Mary Greene brings her abiding love of songwriting to An Spailpín Fánach as part of the Cork Folk Festival.
She will be joined by Alice Jago, a singer-songwriter from Dublin, Paula K O’Brien, a folk artist and multi-instrumentalist from Clonakilty, Trish Reilly, a proud member of the Traveller community from Athlone, and Éimhear Flannery, a distinguished multi-instrumentalist and much sought-after teacher hailing from Munster's Sliabh Luachra region.
Triskel Christchurch
8pm
Renowned accordion player Jackie Daly, who is widely regarded as one of the finest exponents of the Sliabh Luachra musical tradition, will bring the region’s polkas, slides, and reels to the Triskel Christchurch on Saturday.
Daly will be joined by Matt Cranitch, a traditional fiddle-player and teacher, Paul de Grae, who wrote the book , Caoimhe Flannery, who has won several All-Ireland titles, All-Ireland champion in fiddle Eileen O ‘Brien, singer Máire Ní Chéileachair, who won Corn Uí Riada for sean nós singing and the TG4 Gradam Ceoil award for Best Traditional Singer in 2018, and Peter Browne, a well-known uilleann piper and broadcaster.
An Spailpín Fánach
9pm
An Spailpín Fánach will see Leonard Barry, Andy Morrow and Seamie O’Dowd take to their pipes and strings on Saturday night. Barry is one of the most sought-after uilleann pipers in Ireland, Morrow comes from a musical family in County Leitrim whose 2006 album is widely regarded as one of the classic albums of Irish traditional music, and O’Dowd is a guitarist, singer and songwriter whose musical experience spans four decades.
Joining the trio will be Mary Donegan, accompanied by Mary Conroy and Aisling Urwin.
The Oliver Plunkett
10pm
North Cregg, a band that continues to produce some of the freshest and finest sounds to be heard in Irish music, 13 years on from their formation, will play The Oliver Plunkett on Saturday night.
The band features the vocals of Claire Anne Lynch combined with Christy Leahy’s accordion, Liam Flanagan’s fiddle and banjo, and a tight rhythm section with Ciaran Coughlan on swing piano and Martin Leahy on drums.
They will be joined by The Oars, a new contemporary duo featuring songwriter and guitarist Eoin Coughlan and multi-instrumentalist Brian Morrissey.
Triskel Christchurch
8pm
Renowned traditional music group formed in London in 1970, Shaskeen will play Triskel Christchurch this Sunday.
The band is celebrating its 55th Emerald Tour this year, marking more than five decades of preserving and innovating Irish musical heritage with Eamonn Cotter on the flute, Patsy McDonagh on the accordion, singer Deirdre Scanlan, Dave Sanders on the fiddle, Alan Wallace on the guitar, Tom Cussenon the tenor banjo, Mary Liddy on the concertina, and Johnny Donnellan on the bodhrán.
- For more information on the Cork Folk Festival line-up, visit corkfolkfestival.com
