Nights out to hot up as landmark club reopening after €3m revamp

Acrobats, dancers, and trapeze artists… sounds like your regular Irish nightclub, doesn’t it?

Maybe not, but it soon will be as the celebrated Savoy Theatre in Cork — once the nation’s biggest — is to re-open later this month as a state-of-the-art clubbing and live venue. The venture is expected to create 65 jobs, 40 of them permanent positions.

Announcing the re-opening in Cork yesterday, Jason Denham, one of the Savoy’s operators, said: “The nightclub and pub sector is rapidly changing, due to the economic climate. We have learned to adapt to this new landscape very successfully through our work in Dublin club Lost Society and other Dublin venues.

“With the re-opening of the Savoy, we will be creating a new era for going out in Cork, and at the same time restoring one of Cork’s iconic night spots to its former glory, thanks to an investment of €3m.

“We want to bring The Savoy back to being centre stage of Cork nightlife, for locals and for visitors — a venue that Cork people are proud of and that visitors as well as locals will flock to and talk about.”

The Savoy has been transformed into a multi-level clubbing and live venue, with the space being revamped by Paul Moran of CDP Architects and designer Nelson O’Neill.

“Our design brief was to create a multifunctional, high-end club and venue using a contemporary interpretation of design models,” said Mr O’Neill.

“While still retaining some of the original early 20th-century features of the building and respecting its heritage, we have modernised the space with intelligent lighting, creative use of floor levels and stylish bespoke decor.

“The influences for the interior design stem from top venues and clubs in New York, Ibiza, and Paris”.

The opening night is scheduled for Oct 19 and tickets will be distributed over the next week.

* For the latest information on The Savoy, Cork, follow the venue on Facebook or Twitter or visit savoyclubandvenue.com