Ed's happening
Famous musician Ed Sheeran will tonight entertain his fans at Cork’s first major non-restricted gig in over two years.
After warming up in Dublin, Ed will now unleash his + – = ÷ x Tour in Páirc Uí Chaoimh tonight, Thursday, and tomorrow.
This is his first return to Leeside since 2018 when he kicked off his Irish tour in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, playing three shows to a crowd of almost 40,000 people per night.
This week’s concerts mark a major milestone in the return to normality on Leeside with zero Covid-19 restrictions in place for those attending.
Speaking to the Cork Independent, Cork City and County Chairperson of Vintners Federation of Ireland, Michael O’Donovan said the concerts will be a huge boost and will put Cork “totally back on the map”.
“We've had two difficult years and we've been working in the background on this for the last number of weeks. Obviously, it's a huge economic boost for pubs, hotels, restaurants.”
Mr O’Donovan, who owns and runs the Castle Inn in the city centre, said last Sunday week’s hurling fixture between Cork and Limerick was a good “trial run” for future events on Leeside.
He continued: “We have Elton John, we have West Life, we have the other GAA matches, we have the Musgrave Park Music Festival, we have Live at the Marquee.
“These events all benefit the economy here in Cork. So, we just need to pull out all the stops and make sure everybody has a good time,” he said.
Mr O’Donovan pointed out that the fact that Ed Sheeran has returned to Leeside so soon after his last performance here, shows that Cork has a lot to offer.
He said: “This is probably the reason Ed is coming back. When he was here last time, everybody had a great time, everybody was safe and that’s what we want to replicate next couple of days.
“He was here three years ago. It’s unusual for an artists to want to come back to a venue so soon. He has a great affinity for this country and for Cork from what we hear.”
Gates at Páirc Uí Chaoimh will open at 4pm today and tomorrow with support act Denise Chaila from Limerick set to get the ball rolling at 6pm.
All tickets for the concerts are digital so people are advised to download their tickets well in advance and to make sure their phones are charged before presenting at the gate.
At the time of writing this, it seems there are still some tickets available for both shows from ticketmaster.ie.
Gardaí have reminded patrons to respect residents in the area by behaving in an appropriate manner when going to and departing the stadium. Illegal parking, anti-social behaviour, drinking and urinating in public will not be tolerated.
Any bags allowed entry to the stadium will be security tagged for the duration of the event.
A number of roads leading to Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be closed on the day except for residents, so patrons are strongly advised to use public transport wherever possible.