Cork Midsummer Festival: French star revealed among the highlights for June event
French actress Isabelle Huppert will read at UCC as part of Cork Midsumer Festival. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images)
French star Isabelle Huppert is set to make her debut Irish performance at the opening weekend of Cork Midsummer Festival this summer.
Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her generation, the actress brings her voice to a live reading of a selection of work from a defining figure of French literature, Guy de Maupassant.
Huppert, who is the former partner of Daniel Toscan du Plantier, French filmmaker and the late husband of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, will read short stories by the 19th-century French author at Devere Hall in University College Cork (UCC), performing in French with subtitles in English.
The reading by Huppert is part of the festival’s literature programme, which is co-curated by Danny Denton and presented in partnership with UCC.
Festival director Lorraine Maye said a 60-minute discussion with the actress on her work, love of literature, and career, will follow the live reading.
“This is a really rare opportunity to see Isabelle Huppert perform,” she said. “Isabel is, quite simply, one of the greatest actors of our time. I learned about her love of literature through an article that I read about her and her work. I read about these readings. I was thinking about her own literature programme, about how we like to do these kinds of interdisciplinary, these unexpected things in the festival. I contacted her to see if this is something that she might be interested in doing in Cork and thankfully, she was. We're so thrilled that she's going to be here in June.”
Another literary highlight of the upcoming festival is a live reading by Doireann Ní Ghríofa from her new book, accompanied by music from Cork composer Linda Buckley.
“We'll be going to one of the sites that's really central to the book – the ghosts, the memories, and stories,” said Maye. “Ticket holders will be told a starting point, it'll be up at Atkins Hall [near Lee Road], and then they'll be brought to somewhere that they've never been before. It's a really fitting space for all of the atmosphere and all of the stories in the book, and it'll be a surprise for those visiting on the day.”
Touching on budgetary pressures amongst rising costs, Maye acknowledged the increase in flight prices, accommodation, transport, and production costs but said the team is “used to making a little go a long way”.
“This year, we're definitely conscious that there's a lot of unknowns and a lot of things happening outside of our control, both globally and nationally,” she said.
The main funding for Cork Midsummer Festival comes from the Arts Council, with €497,000 being awarded in 2026.
The festival, which has its programme launch on Thursday evening [June 30], will host more than 50 events and performances across 30 venues in Cork city, from June 12 to June 21.
Other highlights include a dance show from Kerry-based Teac Damsa built from the music of the Bothy Band, at Cork Opera House; an acrobatic circus spectacle at City Hall; and an exploration of the city’s cultural history in at the Marina Market.
- For further details and bookings, see corkmidsummer.com
