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music · Saturday 8 August 2026 · 7:00pm 
Candlelight: Tribute to Leonard Cohen at Aula Maxima UCC
At Aula Maxima, University College Cork · University College Cork, College Road, Cork
At Aula Maxima, University College Cork · University College Cork, College Road, Cork
Leonard Cohen’s songs were always built for quiet rooms - the kind of listening that makes you sit still. This candlelight concert brings that quality to one of the finest rooms in Cork: the Aula Maxima at University College Cork, a hall that has been drawing crowds since the university opened in 1849. The Munster String Quartet performs 14 of Cohen’s most enduring pieces by the light of hundreds of candles, turning an already atmospheric space into something genuinely memorable. It suits anyone who loves Cohen’s catalogue, anyone who wants a concert that feels like an occasion rather than background noise, and anyone curious about what a string quartet does to songs built around acoustic guitar and a low voice.
The set runs for 60 minutes and covers a serious span of Cohen’s career - Hallelujah, Suzanne, So Long Marianne, Everybody Knows, I’m Your Man, Tower of Song and more. The Munster String Quartet strips each piece back to melody and harmony, which lets the songwriting itself come forward. There is no support act and no interval; the candles are lit, the quartet plays, and that is the evening.
The Aula Maxima is a Tudor Gothic Revival hall designed by Deane and Woodward in the 1840s. It has stained glass, carved stonework and a ceiling that makes every note carry. The Cork Examiner described it in 1849 as “one of the most magnificent rooms in Ireland” - the room has been through a full restoration since then, but that description still fits. Seating is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis within each ticket zone, so arriving when doors open (45 minutes before the show) gives you the best pick. No entry is permitted once the concert begins.
UCC is a ten-minute walk from Cork city centre - head west along College Road from the South Mall area and the gates are on your right. Bus Eireann and Cork’s local Bus services stop nearby on Western Road; the 205 city orbital and several intercity routes from Kent Station serve the area. Kent Station itself is a short taxi or bus ride from campus. If you are driving, there is parking on campus, though spaces fill early on a Saturday evening; the surrounding streets are also worth checking. Arriving by bus is straightforward from most parts of the city.
Cork city has a strong live music culture and a compact, walkable centre. The English Market is a short walk from UCC and worth an hour before the show; the riverbanks around the South Mall are pleasant on a summer evening. There is more to see in Cork and across Co. Cork.
Heading to Aula Maxima, University College Cork in Cork? Cork has plenty more to see. Read the Cork area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.