Rita Ora spends 'short' stint exploring Cork ahead of Apple HQ gig

The tech giant flew the How To Be Lonely singer in for a private show at the Hollyhill campus to mark 50th anniversary celebrations

Rita Ora performed a private gig at Apple's Irish HQ in Cork this week. Picture: Rita Ora/Instagram

Cork's Apple employees were treated on Tuesday to an on-campus set by singer-songwriter Rita Ora to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.

The tech giant flew the How To Be Lonely singer in for a private show at the Hollyhill campus to mark the occasion.

Videos of Ora’s performance were shared on social media on Tuesday, and the singer later shared some snaps from her “short” time in Ireland.

Posting on Instagram, she shared a carousel of photos featuring the outfit she wore on stage, the on-stage production at the Hollyhill campus, and snaps from her rambles around Kinsale.

Rita Ora performed a private gig at Apple's Irish HQ in Cork this week. Picture: Rita Ora/Instagram

She managed to fit in a visit to the Daisy Chain flower shop, The Spaniard, and the colourful buildings of Market Lane in Kinsale, as well as JJ Walsh’s in the city centre – even trying the famous O’Flynn’s Sausages.

Ora had also interacted with an Instagram post by Bits and Bites on the creator's dining experience at Soul, a southern-inspired restaurant on Washington Street, while scouting the best places to visit in Cork.

“IE it was too short but I loved the girl I became ON and OFF the stage. I can’t wait to come back and perform my Tour, I’ll see you when I come back! I love you. PS singing with my band and hearing those live vocals all come together just literally melted my heart,” she captioned the carousel of photos.

It's not the first time that Apple has hosted on-campus shows for its employees in Hollyhill. The Sugarbabes performed at the campus in 2024 to celebrate the company's inclusion and diversity week, and Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy performed a surprise gig for employees back in 2022.

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Tuesday’s gig comes as revenues at the Cork-based Apple HQ business rise to a record 5bn. 

Pre-tax profits last year increased by 6% to $80.96bn (€70.49bn) in another record year for the business. New consolidated accounts filed by the Cork-based Apple Operations International Ltd show pre-tax profits increased as revenues rose by $13bn or 6%, from $222.3bn to $235.3bn in the 12 months to the end of September 27 last.

The $235.3bn in revenues last year represent 56.5% of Apple Inc’s global revenues of $416.16bn last year.