Connolly’s Of Leap Is A Perfect Example Of West Cork’s Cultural Beauty
Connolly’s Of Leap Is A Perfect Example Of West Cork’s Cultural Beauty
As part of our Jack Daniel’s series spotlighting the faces and spaces pushing Irish creativity forward, we’re looking at arguably the most perfect venue in the country, Connolly’s of Leap.
If you’ve been lucky enough to grace the Wild West Cork, you’ll notice how unique the spot is. Here we see a strange merging of classic rural Ireland and generations of hippies dotted across the land. Between the picturesque hills and mountains is an almost self-governing land which thrives on freedom. A beacon of this lifestyle is Connolly’s of Leap. Surrounded by mountains and the sea and neighboured by the sleepy harbour village of Union Hall, Connolly’s is an oasis of live music for the surrounding Cork area.
Sam McNicholl is the current custodian of the space. Passed down over three generations, his grandparents bought the pub in the 1950s. The converted barn area has been home to live music for decades, with the building slowly turning into a museum for itself. Across the walls are setlists, posters and pictures of the past happenings within the Connolly’s walls. From CMAT to The Chemical Brothers to Nick Cave, the sounds are endless.
“I love the term like ladder holder where it was just like our caretaker because I definitely don’t, I’m absolutely in love with the building, but I definitely don’t have a massive sense of ownership over it.” Sam told us. The space is immortal, with each member of the family being “blessed” to look after it.
Without Connolly’s, there would be no venue in West Cork which acts as a hub for international and renowned Irish acts to land. Without Connolly’s there would be a gaping hole in a community known for its creativity.
Connolly’s strips it back and shows how easy it is to make something work when you have a community behind it, “we’ve got a reputation and I think the reputation is because we care about the things that are important and we don’t care about the things that aren’t important.” It takes a village to raise a venue, and there’s no shortage of that here.
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