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music · Thursday 23 July 2026 · 8:00pm 
Loudest Whisper at Mallow Arts Festival
At St James' Church of Ireland · St James Place, Mallow, Co. Cork
At St James' Church of Ireland · St James Place, Mallow, Co. Cork
Fermoy folk-rock group Loudest Whisper have been performing their 1974 debut album The Children of Lir for more than five decades, and they remain one of the most compelling live acts in Irish traditional music. This Mallow Arts Festival show is a rare chance to hear the full folk opera in a setting that suits it perfectly - a Church of Ireland built in the 1800s, with stone walls and natural acoustics that do the material real justice. It suits anyone with an interest in Irish myth, progressive folk, or simply in seeing a band perform something genuinely singular. The Children of Lir is listed among the top 100 rarest records in the world; hearing it played live is something else entirely.
The show runs for roughly two hours and is split into two halves. The first is an acoustic performance of The Children of Lir folk opera - the story of the four children of the sea god Lir, transformed into swans by their jealous stepmother, drawn from one of the great tales of Irish mythology. Brian O’Reilly, who composed the piece in 1972 and has fronted the group ever since, leads the performance. The second half shifts gear into an electric rock and blues set. It is not a museum piece; the band play with full energy and the contrast between the two halves gives the evening real shape. St James’ Church of Ireland on Thomas Davis Street provides an intimate, atmospheric room for this kind of material - not a concert hall, but a proper old building with character.
Mallow is on the main N20 Cork to Limerick road, around 35km north of Cork city - roughly 30 minutes by car. Irish Rail runs regular services between Cork Kent Station and Mallow, with the journey taking about 30 minutes; the station is a short walk from the town centre. St James’ Church is on Thomas Davis Street in the centre of Mallow. Town centre parking is available on and around Bridge Street and Bank Place; Mallow is a market town so parking is generally manageable outside of peak shopping hours.
Mallow is a good base for a night out in north Cork - the town has a decent range of pubs and restaurants, and the Mallow Castle demesne is worth a look if you arrive with time to spare. There is more to see in Mallow and across Co. Cork.
Heading to St James' Church of Ireland in Mallow? Cork has plenty more to see. Read the Mallow area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.