Plan for new 5,000-seat arena in Cork
A global leader in the music industry has revealed talks are underway to develop a new concert venue in Cork.
Live Nation, the music promoters behind the O2 venue in Dublin, said talks are ongoing to secure a 5,000-capacity arena in Cork.
Mike Adamson, chief executive of Live Nation Ireland and chief executive of the O2 arena, said that discussions were taking place with developers about the project.
He said that the company hoped to build a venue with capacity for up to 5,000 people.
If successful, the centre could help the city attract some of the biggest names in the music industry.
With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world, Live Nation has become one of the biggest names in the music industry.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, it is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company has already been linked to a buyout of some or all of MCD, the Irish music promotions firm owned by Denis Desmond, which sponsors the Cork Ladies Football team.
Live Nation has not revealed where in the city it proposes to build the centre.
Mr Adamson said his firm would be linking up with local companies for the project but did not give specific details of the venture.
He said the Cork venue is one of a number projects coming on stream.
However, local developer Howard Holdings already has permission to develop a convention centre in the city’s docklands under plans for a significant regeneration of the area.
The plans for the Cork concert centre are not as ambitious as the highly successful O2 venue in Dublin.
The Dublin centre can hold concerts for 13,000 people.
The O2 will enjoy more than 100 entertainment and live music events a year.
