There’s always been an arty, academic, and literary vibe to the St Luke’s Cross hillside, within a steep uphill stride of Cork city centre. Auburn Villas atop of Gardiner’s Hill personifies that mix.

Alannah Hopkin discusses the inspiration behind her new book of poems and songs about Cork City, On the Banks.

Cork Opera House is celebrating its 160th anniversary tonight. It’s a momentous milestone, says Marjorie Brennan.

A new TV documentary on Brendan Behan attempts to separate the man from the myth, writes Richard Fitzpatrick

Cork International Short Story festival kicked off at Triskel Christchurch last night with a reading from famed US writer Richard Ford.

R.F. Foster

CORK is a city of storytellers. From Frank O’Connor and Seán Ó Faolain to Conal Creedon and Madeleine D’Arcy, our stories of the city and its people have amused and enthralled generations.

The Outlaw Album

For decades Paul Durcan has mapped our Free State as it descended into Hell. No other poet was so well-prepared for this prolonged and bitter cartography. Thomas McCarthy on his latest collection

This watercolour by Cork writer Daniel Corkery and a Michael Collins commemorative plate are among the lots at Cork Auction Rooms tomorrow.

Nama is seeking to recruit a full-time chief financial officer as part of a reorganisation of functions that will also involve a reshuffle of several senior executive roles.

The new Cork Literary Review will be promoted across America this week, writes Colette Sheridan

THE veteran Irish writer Edna O’Brien was last night named the winner of the 2011 Frank O’Connor Short Story Award for her collection, Saints and Sinners. O’Brien received the prize in person, at the Metropole Hotel in Cork. She is the first Irish writer to win.

The veteran Irish writer Edna O’Brien has been named the winner of the 2011 Frank O’Connor Short Story Award for her collection, 'Saints and Sinners'.

AMERICAN writer Ron Rash was last night named the winner of the 2010 Cork City – Frank O’Connor Short Story Award for his collection Burning Bright.

CORK City libraries have, once again, performed a noteworthy public service, principally through the efforts of librarian Liam Ronayne and Kitty Buckley of the music library.

UNIVERSITY College Cork (UCC) has acquired the exclusive custody of correspondence papers of the celebrated Irish writer Seán O’Faoláin.

RYAN Tubridy’s selection as next host of the Late Late Show did not come as a great surprise. He was always on the shortlist.

NEXT week marks 90 years since the election of the first Irish woman to parliament — Countess Constance Markievicz.

I SALUTE everyone who was involved in organising the Andrea Bocelli concert in Collins Barracks, Cork, last Friday night.

I HATE writing this letter. Years ago, when I was a student at the Cork School of Art, one of my teachers, a much-travelled man, said that in his opinion ‘Cork was one of the dullest cities in Europe’.