Want to see Courtney Pine at the Cork Jazz Festival? He is one of 20 big-name stars appearing across the city during the weekend of October 25-28. Rene Marie, Soul II Soul, Chick and Nile Rodgers, plus Norway’s Bugge Wesseltoft feature, as well as Primal Scream and Tuxedo Junction. A major fringe festival includes free open-air gigs, jazz dance classes, talks and art exhibitions.
Get there with Irish Ferries, sailing from Pembroke in south Wales into Rosslare on the 1,260-car capacity Isle of Inishmore, with return fares from £214 in total for a car and two people. An upgrade to Club Class is £16 per person each way, giving you priority boarding, reserved seats with a fantastic forward view, complimentary drinks, snacks and newspapers. There’s also free WiFi shipwide, and various options if you want to buy a full meal onboard.
Irish Ferries Holidays can also tailor ferry-inclusive packages at hotels in the area, such as the Maldron Cork City, a popular and central three-star five minutes’ walk from Cork Opera House, one of the main venues for the festival. A four-night break over the weekend – which is a public holiday in Ireland – costs £214 per person based on two people travelling by car on the ferry, sharing a double room and enjoying ‘the full Irish’ breakfast each morning.
See www.guinnessjazzfestival.com for further information and ticket sales, with prices from €30.
