Inside Cork's Magic Circle: 'Cork has become a small but exciting hub for magic in Ireland'

As pubs book magic acts to entertain the crowds, Noel Baker & Martin Mongan go inside Cork’s Magic Circle to meet magician Zac Coveney – and hear how the city is a hub for wizardry

Magician and Illusionist Zac Coveney, who is part of a magic circle in Cork, prepares for his show The Wonderist. Picture: Chani Anderson

David Blane and Keith Barry are the celebrity names, but our more usual encounters with magicians are at kids’ birthday parties, or maybe the odd corporate event. Lately though, magic has been making its way into the mainstream.

Pubs from The Liberty in Cork City to Cronins in Crosshaven have been booking magicians. They wander through bars, often table to table, entertaining punters on the way with everything from card tricks to disappearing coins. Initial scepticism gives way to wonder as they ply their trade.