Stevie G: Decent options in Cork for taking music outdoors 

The recent good weather got most of us out and about and, as always, the music community was eager to take advantage.

I’ve often written about the great opportunities that we have in Cork for such outdoor music activity, rain or shine, and there still remains loads of untapped potential in this regard. 

There is no doubt that the outdoors have been embraced more since covid, and there are some decent options available right now for music fans.

The Marina Market is certainly one of the most foremost options in this regard. The covered market has plenty of space outside and even indoors, its large event rooms can host big events. 

On recent Saturdays, various DJs from the Electronic Music Council have been playing summery tunes down near the front of the market, and it’s provided a useful outlet for some more community building in this regard. This is set to continue during the summer, and there are also plans to do some more musical events in the market itself going forward. 

My own Everybody Dance party continues in the middle of the market, but the Market itself is well equipped to do more because it has the space and a certain entrepreneurial zeal to make things happen too. Not everyone wants to hear music while they eat and chill, and it’s such a big space that there are plenty of options for people to sit comfortably elsewhere in this regard too.

Further down The Marina I spun some tunes down in Cortado coffee last Sunday and, as habits change, cafes are another area where you will see or hear lots more live music and DJs these days. 

Cycling, running, yoga and other hobbies go hand in hand with coffee culture, and, in Ireland and abroad, there are early morning raves, chill out afternoon sets and much more activity in this regard.

Again, outside areas are important in this regard, and many who have the space are taking advantage of not only the good weather but the changing habits of music fans. It’s taken a while to develop, but The Marina and the surrounding park area is really coming on nicely at the moment and there are a few potentially nice spots for more events down the line. 

Embracing our harbours and rivers seems to be a no brainer and it’s a shame more of our bars and cafes in the city aren’t really riverside.

Myo Cafe on Pope’s Quay has been running some great daytime and early evening events for years and it’s a great place to sit by the water and catch some tunes.

This week’s Africa Day festivities are hosting plenty of outdoor events, including Saturday’s family fun day in Fitzgerald Park, another great inner city facility that is still probably underused for music events.

The new look Bishop Lucey Park is currently being redeveloped, and will hopefully be another great option when reopened to the public.

The music and cultural scene here is nothing without people and, sadly, a few big contributors to our community have passed recently, and I’d like to mention a few of them today.

Our longtime adopted friend from Rome, Riccardo Vallebella, hosted many great parties and restaurants in Cork over the years and was a great supporter of music and the arts. Cordelia Oseh headed up Multicultural Ireland here and hosted events in Cork City Hall and other venues over the years. These events brought many different communities together and I was honoured to have been the DJ at them for nearly 10 years.

This weekend just gone brought the news that John Emanuel Henry, aka Harry J, had also passed. Harry J touched down in Cork in the mid 90s and, like Rico and Cordelia, he was soon welcomed here with open arms. I first met him in Sir Henry's and he soon began MCing with me in the Back Bar, but it’s fair to say he made his mark in multiple other parties too. He was a big fixture on the reggae/hip-hop and jungle circuits, and throughout the 2000s he was performing alongside the Conspiracy and other groups at festivals and parties all over Cork and beyond.

Finally, we also lost Siobhan O’Dowd this week. A tireless campaigner for the LGBT and other communities over many decades, Siobhan was a very important figure in Cork and, like Rico, Cordelia and Harry J, she will be sadly missed.