Cormac Begley at Cork Opera House

What to Expect

Cormac Begley, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Irish traditional music, brings his solo concertina performance to Cork Opera House on Sunday 13 September. Begley comes from the well-known West Kerry musical family and has built a reputation for pushing the concertina, an instrument usually heard in ensemble trad settings, into a solo concert format, using multiple concertinas of different pitches to build a fuller, more textured sound than the instrument is typically associated with. The performance format leans on close listening rather than a session atmosphere, which suits the seated, purpose-built acoustics of Cork Opera House’s main auditorium. It’s the kind of show aimed at listeners with a serious interest in Irish traditional music as well as anyone curious to hear a familiar instrument used in an unfamiliar way, and the Opera House setting gives the music room to breathe in a way a pub session can’t.

Good to Know

• Date: Sunday 13 September 2026, doors and show around 8pm
• Venue: Cork Opera House, Emmet Place, Cork city centre
• Ticket price: €36, booking through the Cork Opera House website
• Seated concert in the main auditorium
• A bar on site is open before the show and at any interval

Getting There

Cork Opera House is on Emmet Place in Cork city centre, close to the Crawford Art Gallery and a short walk from St Patrick’s Street.