Singing successes at summer show

Summer’s in the air and the countdown to one of Leeside’s favourite sunny season celebrations has begun.

The 2023 Cork Summer Show, taking place on 17 and 18 June, promises 2 days that capture the magic of summer in Cork, with a huge range of events, agricultural competitions and more than twenty themed zones to explore.

A major highlight this year is a live performance from one of the country’s most exciting and gifted songwriters, Cork man, Jack O’Rourke.

O’Rourke’s music came to prominence in 2015, capturing the mood of the Marriage Equality Referendum with his song ‘Silence’, a heartfelt piece about his experience growing up gay and a misunderstood youth.

Jack O’Rourke released his much acclaimed debut album ‘Dreamcatcher’ in 2016, which rose to 5 in the Irish album charts. His 2nd album, ‘Wild Place’, was nominated for Irish Album of the Year in 2021 and his song ‘Sea Swimming’ was nominated for Irish Song of the Year at the RTE Choice Music Prize. His song ‘Patsy Cline’ was nominated for Irish Original Song of the Year at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Also performing over the weekend are The 4 of Us who have been performing together for more than 3 decades.

The band was formed by brothers Brendan and Declan Murphy in Newry in Down and released their debut album, ‘Songs for the Tempted’ in 1989, which featured the massive hit ‘Mary’ and ‘Drag my Bad Name Down’.

They followed this with the release of ‘Man Alive’ which featured in Q Magazine’s top 50 albums of 1992, and their song ‘She Hits Me’ made it into the UK top 30.

The group has since released 8 albums, with their latest effort ‘Sugar Island’ exploring their experience growing up in a border town during the Troubles.

Cork-born singer and multi-instrumentalist Clare Sands will also be gracing the stage at this year’s event.

Sands is considered one of Ireland’s most exciting artists, weaving traditional roots with contemporary sounds.

Following stand out performances at Glastonbury Festival, Celtic Connections and the Irish Arts Centre NYC last year, Sands plans to continue to take her music throughout the UK, Europe and the USA in 2023.

Another Cork act, Two Time Polka, will also be featuring.

Formed in 1994, the Cork roots 6-piece features husband and wife Ray and Geraldine Barron.

They are described as one of Cork’s best kept secrets and have a distinctive sound with its roots in Cajun, zydeco and bluegrass music.

For more information on this year’s Cork Summer Show, visit corksummershow.com.