Oíche i gCorcaigh is an atmospheric documentary series set in Cork over one night. What happens when dusk falls and the evening opens out ahead? As the stars come out and night envelops the town, from dusk to dawn we follow people from the suburbs to the city centre, all the excitement and adventure that fills the place at night. The street lights come on and the atmosphere of the city changes.
Gardaí Shane McCarthy and Barra O'Shea patrol the streets, ready for whatever action unfolds. Shift workers prepare for their next stint, in bars and clubs, hospitals and restaurants, building security, fire stations, and factories. Hannah McCarthy and her friends Phoebe and Orlaith get the prinks in before hitting the town; they're ready for a bit of fun tonight.
In the Heineken Brewery Brian Desmond begins his late night, checking to see that all is well with the complex processes that give us our beer. Over in the Imperial Hotel manager Íde Breathnach leads her staff through a busy night that includes a birthday celebration and hundreds of cocktails. Frank O'Connor, founder of Anois, walks the street of Cork, wondering how so many fine buildings have been allowed to go derelict. He raises his flagging spirits by heading into Café Spresso on McCurtain Street where owner Tomasz Wrzesien presides over a nightly crew of regulars who find companionship in this friendly place.
Thumping music can be heard from the nightclubs where people have just begun their night out. The sound of shouting and people calling out to each other is heard as the Gardaí patrol the streets in pairs. The still river reflects the sparkling stars and the bright moon. Cork River Rescue is out, like all nights motoring up and down the river, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be feeling vulnerable and drawn to the river. Happy couples walk hand in hand, oblivious to this, sashaying down the street on their way to the pub. We meet Paddy Egan, a concertina player, his wife Nicola, and their baby daughter. Paddy, is a lecturer in Digital Humanities at UCC.
Paschal Coffey of Hope for the Homeless marshals a group of volunteers who head for Patrick Street to distribute food and drink and clothes to people who've fallen on hard times. An ambulance siren cuts through the dark streets as it races to reach a man who has been rescued from the River Lee. Paramedics Domhnall Mac Aodha and Kevin Hourihan rush to get him to the hospital. On the other side of the city, comedian Tadhg Hickey plays to a full house and as the laughter of the audience fills the venue, it seems like all is well with the world. Dr. Caitríona Ní Chathasaigh works her way through the wards of Mallow Hospital and over in Cobh, the Benedictine nuns begin a night of prayer and contemplation. There we meet Geraldine Heffernan, a teacher at Mater Dei Academy, who is on a personal retreat in St. Benedict's. We chat with Mother Catherine, Prioress at St. Benedict's.
The night is a mosaic of experiences. Mouth-watering smells of the fish and chip shop draws in passers-by after a late night. Rows and rows of houses in the city lie quiet and blank as the people in them sleep. And then a light comes on in an upstairs window as a mother gets up to feed her infant.
