Cork Jazz Festival helps 40,000 punters beat away the blues
The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival has roared back with a bang and banished the blues — for a few days at least — with some city venues reporting one of their busiest weekends in 15 years.
An estimated 40,000 punters parked concerns about the cost-of-living crisis and poured into the city for the first full-on jazz festival in three years, injecting some €20m into the local economy.
Thousands enjoyed free outdoor concerts on Emmet Place, and marching bands popped up across the city on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, as the banks of the Lee reverberated to the sounds of saxophones, brass bands, trumpets, and trombones.
Then in the evenings, thousands more flocked to ticketed gigs by some of the world’s top jazz acts, with more packed into some of the 70 or so pubs taking part in the free jazz trail.
The Cork branch of the Vintners Federation of Ireland's chairman, Michael O’Donovan, said after a few stormy months for the sector, the clouds broke and publicans saw some blue skies.
“It’s been a phenomenal weekend,” the Castle Inn publican said.
“It really was a bumper weekend, but given the soaring energy costs, and all the other challenges we face, the sector would need a festival like this every month to survive,” he added.
The managing director of Trigon Hotels, Aaron Mansworth, the group which includes the Metropole Hotel, the spiritual home of the jazz festival, said it was great to see so many people enjoying the music and atmosphere.
“Last year’s festival took place the same weekend that Covid restrictions were fully lifted, but we, in the Metropole, still ran a limited event at the time, with restricted numbers,” he said.
“And I think the musicians fed off that. They really gave it 110%.
“We’ve had big numbers, and really great good-natured crowds, and there was a real carnival atmosphere on the streets.
“Even the rain on Saturday failed the dampen the spirits. I think people just wanted to come out and celebrate, and to soak up the atmosphere.”
Cork Business Association president, Kevin Herlihy, praised the festival organisers.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. We are trading in the city centre for 22 years and this has by far been the best Guinness Cork Jazz Festival weekend ever,” he said.
“It’s a credit to the organisers to have put on such quality acts that have drawn in a massive crowd.
“Also after Covid, people are delighted to get out and about again. This sets us up nicely for a busy Christmas period ahead of us.”
The chairperson of the Cork Jazz Festival committee, Fiona Collins, said she was delighted the event had gone so well.
“There has some really positive feedback and it’s great so many people came into the city to enjoy it — they’re the reason we do this,” she said.
“There is always pressure putting on the festival, we really want to make sure that it ticks as many boxes as possible, and we hope every year we get it right, and I think we got it right this year.
“The streets seem to have been busier than ever.”
Serious jazz fans praised the festival’s musical line-up, organised by festival director, Mark Murphy, who Ms Collins confirmed is already in talks with some acts for next year’s event.
Gardaí reported no serious incidents, but in an unrelated incident, a man in his 40s, who was arrested in connection with an alleged assault on a man at a premises in Blackpool at about 6pm on Saturday, appeared before a special court sitting on Sunday morning charged in connection with the incident.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
