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music · Friday 24 July 2026 · 7:00pm 
Cry Before Dawn at Cyprus Avenue
At Cyprus Avenue · Caroline Street, Cork
At Cyprus Avenue · Caroline Street, Cork
Cry Before Dawn are one of those Irish bands that time did strange things to - signed to CBS/Epic Records in 1986, two critically respected albums under their belts, IRMA awards for Best Newcomer and Best Irish Group, and then gone. Decades later they came back with 2025’s Open Water, which went to number one on the Irish Independent Album Charts, proving the audience had been waiting. This July show at Cyprus Avenue is part of a 40th anniversary Irish tour marking the month they walked into a CBS office and changed their lives. It suits anyone who was there the first time around, and anyone who wonders what they missed.
The set will draw on the full span of the band’s catalogue - from the debut Crimes of Conscience and its three Irish chart singles, through the Los Angeles-recorded Witness For The World, to newer material. The 2026 tour also ties in with Songs That Got Away: 1984-1990, a retrospective compilation of early recordings and rarities now available digitally for the first time. Cry Before Dawn are Brendan Wade (vocals, guitar, pipes), Tony Hall (guitar), Vince Doyle (bass), and Pat Hayes (drums) - the kind of tight four-piece that made their name on stages like this one. Cyprus Avenue holds around 500 people, which puts the room in a good place for a show of this kind: enough bodies to generate heat, close enough to actually see the band. The venue runs seven nights a week and has a solid reputation for sound quality. Show runs from 7pm to 10:30pm.
Cork city is well connected by road from Dublin (M8, around two and a half hours), Limerick (N20, under an hour), and Waterford (N25/N40, about an hour and a half). Irish Rail runs direct services from Dublin Heuston, Limerick, and other cities to Cork Kent Station, which is about a fifteen-minute walk from Caroline Street. Bus Eireann and Citylink also serve Cork from most major towns. Caroline Street is in the city centre, near the South Mall and within easy walking distance of most central accommodation. Street parking is limited in the evenings; the nearby Lavitt’s Quay and Merchant’s Quay multi-storeys are the practical options.
Cork city rewards a proper look around - the English Market is one of the genuinely great covered food markets in Ireland, the Lee splits the city in a way that keeps surprising you, and the surrounding county has coastline, valleys, and towns worth exploring. There is more to see in Cork and across Co. Cork.
Heading to Cyprus Avenue 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.