'We didn't want to fade away': End of an era for Corcadorca 

A LEADING light of the arts, theatre and entertainment in Cork is to close its doors after 31 years, bringing down the curtains on a stellar list of acclaimed productions.

The Corcadorca Theatre Company released a statement saying it would not be applying for Arts Council funding for the coming year and is winding down.

Corcadorca has launched the careers of several notable actors and showcased the best of Irish talent including Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh starring Eileen Walsh and Cillian Murphy, which went on to tour internationally.

Board member Paul O’Donovan told The Echo that rising costs have made life challenging for the sector.

“After Covid, a lot of people left the sector and didn’t want to come back to work,” he said.

Insurance and accommodation costs have cut margins, making it much more difficult to run shows in Cork and Dublin. Budgets for the arts in Ireland are “good” but not “European good”, he said.

“We didn’t have to keep the heating on in a theatre because we’re not site specific. We got good supports. We actually made work during Covid. We made Contact, [going] to the different greens and housing estates around the city.”

Mr O’Donovan said coming out of Covid and realising the cost landscape had changed triggered the decision.

“We didn’t want to fade away, so we decided not to apply for arts funding and to start the process of winding down. It’s hard to keep a company going, trying to recruit staff.”

Corcadorca has two permanent posts, the artistic director, Pat Kiernan, and a currently vacant company director post. Eight board members are drawn from academia, the arts, law and business.

They work closely with such partners as the Triskel Arts Centre, mentoring new and emerging artists, and all board members have full time jobs, said Mr O’Donovan, and “were giving their time and their expertise, and I have nothing but praise for my fellow board members, and past ones as well”.

Corcadorca can look back with pride on its achievements over three decades of “spectaculars” such as bringing the Merchant of Venice to a closed-off Washington St, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Fitzgerald’s Park, and The Trial of Jesus at Easter up and down Patrick’s Hill.

Corcadorca managed to attract those who didn’t think of themselves as typical “theatre folk”, said Mr O’Donovan.

Corcadorca was at the forefront of fostering new talent, such as Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, and Enda Walsh, and, most recently, Eileen Eimear Reilly, a 27-year-old-writer and producer, who this year made waves at the Dublin Fringe Festival with her debut, The Spin.