Cork Today Through the Lens

09/09/2026

07/09/2026

Douglas Street AutumnFest 2026 — A Celebration of Community in the Heart of Cork
On 6 September 2026, one of Cork’s best-known streets, Douglas Street, was transformed for several hours into a lively space filled with music, creativity and community spirit. The annual AutumnFest once again brought together local residents, families with children, community organisations, local businesses and many visitors. Throughout the day, Douglas Street was filled with live music, while a variety of local businesses and community organisations hosted stalls along the street. Visitors could enjoy a wide selection of food, while children were treated to gifts, workshops and face painting. The street programme also featured circus and theatre performances, interactive shows and creative activities that encouraged visitors to take part. The festival was attended by Councillor Dan Boyle, representing the Green Party on Cork City Council. Dan Boyle is a well-known Irish politician and author who previously represented Cork in both Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, and served as Deputy Leader of the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. Among the guests was also the Lord Mayor of Cork, Damian Boylan. During his visit, the Lord Mayor spent time speaking with festival-goers, meeting representatives of the organisations taking part and talking with local residents. He paid particular attention to Cork’s younger generation, engaging with young people directly on the street in the open and relaxed atmosphere of the festival. A notable part of this year’s AutumnFest was the participation of Cork’s Ukrainian community. Two musical groups under the direction of Svitlana Deikun presented their programmes during the festival. The VOICES OF PEACE Intercultural Children and Young People Choir, based at the Cork Academy of Music, presented a musical programme performed by children and young people. Their repertoire included Ukrainian songs as well as popular music from different countries. The choir’s performance became one of the warmest and most memorable parts of the festival’s musical programme. Children also had the opportunity to take part in workshops and enjoy face painting as part of the day’s activities. The adult performers were also represented by the UKRAINIAN VOICE music group, also under the direction of Svitlana Deikun. The group introduced festival visitors to Ukrainian musical culture and added another vibrant performance to the programme on Douglas Street. Their performance was warmly received by the festival audience and attracted great interest from spectators. Together, the two groups represented two generations of Ukrainian culture at the festival — the children and young people of VOICES OF PEACE and the adult performers of UKRAINIAN VOICE music group. Their participation blended naturally into the atmosphere of AutumnFest and once again highlighted the cultural diversity of modern Cork — a city where people of different nationalities, traditions and generations come together. AutumnFest on Douglas Street is more than simply a street festival. It is a meeting place for neighbours, cultures and generations; an opportunity to discover local initiatives, enjoy music, experience the creativity of different communities and simply spend a few hours together. For one day, Douglas Street once again became what the festival organisers call “the village in the city” — a village in the heart of a larger city. This sense of community was also reflected in the Lord Mayor’s message to those taking part in and visiting the festival. Overall, Douglas Street AutumnFest was a vivid example of how a city event can bring together people of different ages, cultures and interests. Live music, street performances, workshops, children’s entertainment, community organisations, local businesses and representatives of Cork City Council all contributed to the atmosphere of a genuine shared celebration. The festival showed Douglas Street not simply as one of Cork’s streets, but as a living community space where people can meet, talk, discover new initiatives and feel that they are part of the same city. And that was perhaps the most important outcome of the day — AutumnFest once again brought Cork together.

Report and photographs by Oren Gontmaher.

07/09/2026

30/08/2026

Ukrainian Flag Raised Above Cork City Hall to Mark Ukraine’s Independence Day
On 24 August, the Ukrainian flag was raised above Cork City Hall to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Damian Boylan, raised the flag as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine and in support of the Ukrainian community living in Cork. Representatives of Ukrainian organisations in Cork came together for the occasion and presented the Lord Mayor with a symbolic gift featuring a Ukrainian national emblem. The gift expressed their gratitude to Cork City and its residents for their continued support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Speaking to The Echo following the ceremony, Cllr. Boylan said the flag raising was a reminder that Cork stands with the people of Ukraine and supports their right to determine their own future.
The ceremony also reflected the strong relationship that has developed between Cork and its Ukrainian community. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Cork has become home to many Ukrainians who have found safety in Ireland while continuing to maintain their culture, traditions and connection with their homeland. The raising of the Ukrainian flag above City Hall symbolised friendship between Ireland and Ukraine and reaffirmed Cork’s solidarity with Ukrainians in their continuing struggle for freedom, independence and peace.
Thirty-five years after the adoption of Ukraine’s Declaration of Independence, the blue and yellow flag flying above Cork City Hall served as both a celebration of Ukrainian independence and a visible sign of the city’s continued support for Ukraine.

Report & Photography by Oren Gontmaher.

30/08/2026

Ukraine’s Independence Day Celebrated in Cork
On 23 August, a celebration marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence took place in Fitzgerald Park, Cork. The event brought together members of the Ukrainian community, volunteer and community organisations, cultural groups, as well as Irish friends and supporters of Ukraine. The organisations and community representatives involved in organising and delivering the event included Shtab, a volunteer organisation led by Viktor Danyliuk; UKRAINIAN VOICE Music Group, a volunteer music organisation led by Svitlana Deikun; Together Razem – Together for Ukraine, led by Svetlana Zaharova; Cultural and Educational Hub – Ukrainian School in Cork, represented by Operations Manager Natalia Korch; Olesia Zhytkova, a Cork-based community activist and researcher at Dublin City University; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Cork, represented by Fr. Roman Biletskyi; and Hub Kalyna, founded and directed by Viktoria Tymoshchuk. The event began with a prayer service led by Fr. Roman Biletskyi and Bishop Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross. The congregation was also treated to performances by the church choir and the Sunday School children’s choir, conducted by Oksana Kushnirchuk.
The concert programme featured performances by the Ukrainian Youth Association in Ireland (СУМ), led by Larysa Stech; the musical ensemble of Diana Kushnirchuk and Yana Semkovych; children from the Cultural and Educational Hub – Ukrainian School in Cork; Voices of Peace – Intercultural Children and Youth Choir, associated with Cork Academy of Music / Creative Ireland and led by Artistic Manager and Conductor Svitlana Deikun; SUNSHINE – International Youth Music Ensemble: Diversity & Harmony; and the Kalyna Choir, conducted by Tetiana Tymoshenko. The event also featured exhibitions and creative workshops presented by members of the Ukrainian community, including Vira Klemenchuk, Flona Dafereras, Anastasiia Hloba, Ilona Klaudis, Nataliya Obelchak, Tetiana Kozhurkina, Regina Bachinska, Lubov Osnach, Babusi-Didusi Razem, represented by Anzhelika Bykova, and the Women’s Support Group, represented by Olena Yalanzhy. The programme was directed by Svitlana Deikun, with Tetiana Kozhurkina and Yuliia Maltseva serving as presenters. Leaders of Ukrainian volunteer groups and community organisations addressed those gathered with speeches focusing on Ukraine’s independence, the unity of the Ukrainian community and the preservation of Ukrainian national culture. Representatives of Irish community organisations also expressed their support and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
Among the official guests were Yaroslav Humeniuk, First Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland; Cllr Gerry O’Brien, Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork; Cllr Dan Boyle; and Svetlana Nabivach, representing The Greater Chernobyl Cause, an organisation founded and led by Fiona Corcoran. The celebration concluded with a symbolic act of unity. Participants and guests gathered around the Ukrainian flag and joined hands to form a human chain, demonstrating solidarity and a shared sense of community. The celebration in Fitzgerald Park was one of the initiatives organised by Cork’s Ukrainian community to preserve Ukrainian culture, strengthen community unity and deepen the bonds between the Ukrainian and Irish people. It once again demonstrated that, even far from their homeland, Ukrainians continue to preserve their history, culture and sense of national unity, while receiving strong support and solidarity from Irish society.

Report & Photography by Oren Gontmaher.