So many things on in Cork right now ... it's hard to choose!

THE Midsummer Festival is in full swing and there are so many things to see, you will have a hard job choosing.

One you shouldn’t miss is Guests of the Nation, a new production from Corcadorca, staged in and around the Opera House and Triskel Arts Centre, and offering a fresh reflection on what it means to be Irish in 2022: an investigation of our notions of patriotism, and a timely interrogation of war. This stark, ironic - yet very human - story is elevated by the creative collaboration between writer Kevin Barry, director Pat Kiernan, and composer/sound designer Mel Mercier. Friday and Saturday this week from 10pm, starting from the Opera House.

The Wakefires tonight is fully sold out, but you might be able to get in earlier today to Under The Same Sky, a new audio-visual installation by Lithuanian artist Kristina Inčiūraitė, in collaboration with Dr. Eva McMullan-Glossop and University College Cork Choir, which showcases the unique Irish landscape of the Burren National Park with a vocal soundscape of wild nature based on observations and imagination. That’s at St Luke’s Crypt until June 26, from 11 to 5, and is free. Or a new musical in development at the Cork Arts Theatre at 3pm, with the theme of a man from West Cork who declares the grounds of his house to be an independent country… An entertaining way to face your inhibitions might be Sing Your Failures at Fitzgerald’s Park from tomorrow until Sunday. Performer Louise White and vocal coach Michelle O’Rourke invite you to join them in a singing experience as part of an impromptu untrained choir. Tickets must be booked,and are limited to twenty per performance. However, non-ticket holders can also come along to see the event. All planning to attend (both ticketed and non-ticketed) should arrive at the bandstand in Fitzgerald’s Park 5 minutes before the scheduled performance time which lasts just an hour. Friday at 2pm and 4pm; Saturday, Sunday, at noon, 2, and 4pm.

From tomorrow until Sunday, Whale at the Opera House is a remarkable new work of theatre and song by Cork writer, actor and director John McCarthy. 7.30pm start, matinees also on Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. And Van Morrison is here next Monday night – what more need we say? Well, that Yes are here next Wednesday, on their Relayer Album tour. 021 427 0022 or www.corkoperahouse.ie.

There’s a hip-hop workshop on the Everyman stage tomorrow morning at10.30 am. Part of Fête de la Musique: Senegal, France, Irlande, it invites young people and young artists aged 13 – 21. Free, but booking essential. The Fête de la Musique itself starts tomorrow when artists from three countries present performances. Go along and experience the results of this joyful melting-pot. 8pm start. And if it’s a night out with the girls you’re looking for, then Three Hail Marys the following weekend might be just the thing. Written by Tommy Marren, it’s a hilarious piece about three Marys (what else?) living in the same nursing home, arguing, singing, dancing, and confusing each other nonstop. 021 450 1673 or www.everymancork.com.

If you have always loved Sinatra, then you have a chance to enjoy his music at the Cork Arts Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday next week, June 29 to July 2. Written and performed by Jim O’Mahony, The Artistry of Frank Sinatra brings you on a journey through 60 years of his career, with timeless classics paying homage to the legend. 8pm start. Booking on 021 450 5624 or www.corkartstheatre.com.

For everything else going on at the Midsummer Festival this weekend, which we can’t possibly squash in here, do yourself a favour and check out the website: www.corkmidsummer.com. You have only yourself to blame if you miss out on something incredible that could change your life!