All About Cork: Griffith College Cork graduation celebrations

Griffith College Cork, based in Wellington Road, Shandon recently held their 2024 graduations celebrations.

Dance Cork Gala pick

Dance Cork Firkin Crane has announced that Inclusive Dance Cork has been selected by the Lord Mayor, Dan Boyle, as one of three charity organisations for this year’s Lord Mayor’s Gala Christmas Concert alongside Balance Summer Camp and Cork Penny Dinners.

A spokesperson said: “Funds raised at the concert on December 7 at Cork City Hall directly supports the impactful work of each charity.

“Everyone can be part of this festive charitable event by grabbing a ticket for what promises to be a heartwarming night featuring a blend of traditional Christmas favourites and a showcase of Cork’s vibrant multicultural community — all in support of local charities.” Tickets are available at Pro Musica on Oliver Plunkett St, or online from everymancork.com.

Sweet sorrow in Sugar play

Opening tonight at Cork Arts Theatre, is Sugar by Michael Patric. In the play, Danyl Sweetnam describes his last days as an Irish Sugar employee.

Cork Arts Theatre said: “It’s 2006 and Danyl is finding the going tough. His marriage is falling apart, his job is in jeopardy and then there’s a family bereavement. Rather than letting it all defeat him though, Danyl decides to laugh his way through it. Contrary to the stereotypical Irish male who finds it difficult to talk about his problems, Danyl will tell it all to anyone, anywhere, anytime. His fear, his grief, his family and even his sex life.

“He has a deep love and respect for his work colleagues. They have taught him the value of laughing at the serious stuff. He will tell us with pride how they fought against the company to win a fair redundancy settlement in the Labour Court. Indeed, this fight mirrors his own personal fight with tragedy and loss. If you can keep smiling at all, you have hope.”

The show is directed by Geoff Gould. It runs from November 19 to 23.

Artists Afternoon discussion at The Everyman

The Everyman presents its latest ‘Artists Afternoon’ on Thursday between 1.30 and 3.30pm.

The venue said: “As usual, it is open to all professional artists and arts workers. The Everyman bar will be open for free tea, coffee, and chats and feel free to bring your lunch.

“There is no set format for the afternoon, all you need to do is turn up at some point and be prepared to chat to other artists and arts workers.

“All we ask is that you have a conversation with at least one person who is new to you, or whose work you do not know. Everyone is welcome and if you need to bring children with you, they are welcome, just make sure to book a ticket for them too. We want The Everyman to be your home, where you can dream, share ideas, and have great conversations about theatre, opera, music, circus, participation, engagement, performance and everything that happens on a stage.

“So, every month, we open the building to you, our artists and arts workers, for the ‘Everyman Artists Afternoons’. We hope that we can create a space in The Everyman for you to gather, to have informal conversations, and the space to dream up new ideas.

“Each artists afternoon has a different focus in form, but they are for artists of every discipline. It’s an opportunity to hang out, to have a cuppa with your colleagues and other artists that you may or may not know, to share your ideas, and then, at the end of the afternoon, to see some brilliant work by national and international artists and have a conversation with the people who made the work.” 

For more information on this project, contact Aoife Clarke at aoife@everymancork.com.

Sadness at café closure

Sadness has been expressed at the recent announcement of the closure of a local business that was at the heart of the Blackpool community on Thomas Davis Street for over three decades.

Dunlea’s café, operated by Bill Dunlea and his family since 1991, will close in Blackpool. 

The family will continue to operate their café at the Marina Commercial Park. Mr Dunlea told The Echo a combination of operating costs, the relocation of the post office in the village to the shopping centre, flooding issues, and a lack of cohesive planning for Blackpool itself were contributing factors to the decision to close. The closure of the café was described as a “heart-breaking decision” by Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould.

“I want to wish Bill and all of his family well into the future. His contribution, not just to Blackpool’s economy, but to the wider community has been huge. I hope he continues to play a role in Blackpool’s future,” the Cork North Central TD said.

Graffiti programme director

The deadline is fast approaching for a position at Graffiti Theatre in Blackpool.

The theatre is looking for a dynamic programme director to lead and run the BEAG Early Years Arts programme.

Visitwww.graffiti.ie for more. Applications must be made by November 29.

Have Blackpool, Shandon and Ballyvolane features in today's 'All About Cork' pages.