Cork Views: City initiative is a boost for coffee culture

Independent coffee shops across the city are invited to take part in the Cork Business Association’s (CBA) Coffee House Lates initiative later this month.

The initiative, which turns coffee shops into social hubs, offers an opportunity to showcase Cork’s coffee culture, attract new customers, test the night-time market, and strengthen the sense of community in a non-alcoholic setting.

This initiative has huge potential to bring the Café culture in Ireland to the next level and put it on a par with coffee houses across Europe that add so much to the vibrancy and appeal of cities – particularly those steeped in history and culture.

Participating coffee shops, supported by the CBA, will stay open until 10pm and host unique events for people seeking a different kind of experience on a night out , one that is lubricated by more than just alcohol.

Cork city’s night-time economy adviser, Fiona Collins, said following the success of last year’s initiative, “we are continuing to push to diversify Cork’s night-time economy, and this initiative is all about redefining what a night out in Cork can be.

“By empowering our incredibly unique coffee shops to stay open later, we hope to make this late-night culture sustainable and a core, exciting part of the city’s after- hours identity,” Ms Collins said.

Here in Cork, we are fortunate to sit on the doorstep of Europe that offers so many examples of how to do Café culture well. The coffee scene is really strong, particularly in Italy, France, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece. These countries offer people a place to gather and spend hours catching up, discussing everything from gossip to family dramas, romantic dilemmas, politics, and, of course, sport.

With two adult children in Barcelona, I am probably most familiar with that city. The Gothic Quarter, so-called as it used to be a Roman village and has remnants of its historic past, offers hundreds of opportunities to sit in the side streets or piazzas, and while away the hours over coffee. The narrow winding streets create a labyrinth of shop fronts, galleries, restaurants and cafés. It is bursting with hidden gems where you can sit and drink coffee for a couple of euros and indulge yourself in its history and culture.

In Italy, cafés are commonly known as bars. They serve coffee, but also wine, liquor and light food such as tiny pizzas and pastries. Italians often stop by in the morning for coffee and pastry and then later in the day for more coffee with drinks in the early evening.

My favourite place to loiter in Italy has to be the Piazza Navona. The bustling square is more than just a tourist trap; it is a community. Ringed by shops, cafés, restaurants and cathedrals, it is full of the sounds of chatter, laughter, music, pigeons and church bells - the ideal place to while away hours in the sunshine and just bask in the glory of it all.

The most important thing is to forget about time, and the cost of a coffee. The cost is the experience, not the drink, and allowing yourself to be a small piece of history. Enjoy the promenading, the music, the chatter, the people and the of course the colourful fashions.

French cafés are different again, embroiled in a melange of fine cuisine, art, literature, and politics. Historically, its ancient cafés were home to great writers, artists, musicians and historians like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Stravinsky and Trotsky. I remember sitting at a French café in 1983 and watching the funeral cavalcade of the famous French opera singer pass by my perch.

Coffeehouses in Vienna, Prague and Kraków originally offered the working class of the Industrial Age an opportunity to escape their tiny flats and socialise with friends in a heated café that saved on heating bills at home.

Today, these coffee houses still provide that living room atmosphere with newspapers, pastries, sofas, light lunches. Most of all, there is no rush, with the ability to sit as long as you want for the price of kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake) – a traditional mid- afternoon social ritual for which the Viennese are famous for.

European cafés have very specific rules that govern the price of a coffee. If you want to linger you will pay double to sit at a table and even more if the table is on the street. If you want a quick coffee, you can stand at the bar.

Coffee House Lates is open to coffee shops that can extend their hours and host a unique activity that aligns with the event’s aim offering an alcohol-free night out, with a list of ideas available from the CBA, from live entertainment and coffee to speed dating and craft nights.

But there are so many other options. Teens and young adults have got really into board games, card games, quizzes. Mafia murder mystery can go on for hours and provide memorable evenings. Best of all is the option of sitting on covered pedestrian side streets, people-watching and enjoying each other’s company with phones confiscated at the door, returned at the end of the evening.

President of the CBA, Dave O’Brien said the initiative was offering the public a different way to socialise after dark. “We strongly encourage business to submit their concepts for our consideration, and we look forward to working closely with them to curate this special night,” he said.

Coffee House Lates will take place on November 27 and 28. For further details visit corkbusiness.ie or just turn up on the night and see what happens.

Isn’t it time to enjoy coffee in Cork like the Europeans do – sitting at a table for hours at a time, well into the evening, drinking it all in and watching the world go by?