CONSTRUCTION IS TO begin on a new Cork Events Centre later this year – five years after a ‘turning of the sod’ event was held at the site and attended by the then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The Government has today approved €7 million in additional funding for the centre to make up for the additional construction costs incurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A 2018 opening date had been set as a target at the time, but the multi-million project has been repeatedly delayed. It is expected the Centre will now be ready open by the end of 2024.

The Events Centre will have a 6,000-person capacity, which is hoped to help Cork city attract larger-scale events when it opens.

The site chosen for the centre is the former Beamish brewery, located next to the river and almost in the shadow of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral and Elizabeth Fort. Its counting house, with its Tudor-style façade, is one of the city’s most striking buildings.

In late 2014, Heineken Ireland and construction giant BAM won a tender to develop the historic Beamish and Crawford factory into a 6,000-capacity events centre. Heineken has since pulled out of the project and BAM has teamed up with events operator Live Nation.

Live Nation will invest €35 million and will design, build, own, operate and maintain the facility, while the State will provide €50 million in grant aid under the National Development Plan.

Funding arrangements are being completed by Cork City Council, and the Government has today been updated on plans for the flagship project.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has welcomed the progress on the Cork Events Centre today, following the update received by Cabinet.

Martin said: “The progress made by Cork City Council and all involved on this flagship project is very welcome.

This project is potentially of major benefit to the city and entire region, complemented by the additional development of the Grand Parade Quarter through €46m funding under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.

The Grand Parade and entire medieval quarter is set for a significant renaissance and regeneration, creating a compelling and vibrant cultural heart of the city, and a catalyst for further economic growth.

“Once completed, the Cork Events Centre and Grand Parade Quarter will be a public space that the entire city and country can be proud of,” Martin said, who is a Cork South-Central TD.

With reporting from Conor McMahon and Aoife Barry.