Photo Credit: Bríd O’Donovan
#SFSH25
11th – 14th September 2025
Various venues, Cork City, Ireland.
Sounds from a Safe Harbour // SFSH
A forest of music, language, art, and ritual, will bloom across Cork City from 11th – 14th September 2025 as Sounds from a Safe Harbour (SFSH) festival returns for its 10th anniversary.
Following the recent reveal of the 37d03d (“PEOPLE”) artists participating in the festival’s residency programme, SFSH now proudly announce the first round of ticketed shows.
The festival will commence on Thursday 11th September with ‘Remembering Talos’ – a deeply personal opening night tribute to the late Eoin French, a beloved artist and festival friend—staged at Cork Opera House created with many of Eoin’s friends and collaborators. The night will continue with the 37d03d Opening Ritual at Elizabeth Fort, launching a city-wide experience filled with surprise performances, intimate encounters, and large-scale productions.
Throughout the weekend, audiences can expect the return of regular friends of the festival, alongside exciting new faces. There will be special album launches – including one from Junior Brother and Dáithí– as well as bold collaborations between artists.
Among the newly added names is Ben Howard, known for his soul-stirring songwriting, who joins forces with the mesmerising Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) for a double bill; Rhiannon Giddens, a Grammy-winning force in folk and roots music, brings her powerful voice and banjo mastery to the stage; while Jon Hopkins, celebrated for his immersive electronic compositions, teams up with S. Carey for a special double piano show. Also not to be missed is an acoustic performance from Villagers, the ever-enigmatic Lisa Hannigan, the master of ‘folktronica’ Beth Orton, Amanda Bergman, Black Country New Road, Crash Ensemble, Sam Amidon + many more. The festival will culminate with a special finale hosted by Efterklang with special guests..
FIRST ROUND OF TICKETED SHOWS:
37d03d Mixed Tape with Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra | 37d03d Opening Ritual | Amanda Bergman | Angie McMahon + Leif Vollebekk | Bantum + Arveene | Ben Howard + Kate Stables | Beth Orton | Bizhiki | Black Country New Road | Caroline Rose + La Force | Charlotte Cornfield | Country Music Covers hosted by Amanda Bergman | Crash Ensemble X Rachel Lavelle X RÓIS * Double Bill | Dáithí | DakhaBrakha | Earth on a Good Day hosted by The Vernon Spring | Elaine Howley | Eve Owen + Rosie Carney | Festival Club hosted by Sally Cinnamon | Festival Finale hosted by Efterklang | Fionn Regan | Gemma Doherty | Gordi + SOAK | I Dreamed I Dream | Donnacha Dennehy x Crash Ensemble ‘Land of Winter’ (Irish Premiere) | Joshua Idehen | Junior Brother | Lisa Hannigan | Mina Tindle X Kate Stables | Nick Mulvey | Remembering Talos | Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco | Turrisi | Jon Hopkins + S. Carey | S. Carey | Sam Amidon + Niamh Regan | Serengeti | Sunday Times | The Barr Brothers + Memorial | The Staves | The Vernon Spring and Gwilym Gold | Vanishing Arcs | Victoria Canal + Christof Van Der Ven | Villagers (acoustic set) | Will Butler | Ye Vagabonds
+ much more to be announced…
Festival Director Mary Hickson says: “This 10th edition of Sounds from a Safe Harbour feels especially meaningful. It’s not only a celebration of the festival’s evolution, but also a chance to deepen the relationships between artists and audiences that have been built over the years. SFSH has always been about collaboration and surprise, and this year, those principles are more alive than ever.”
Curated by a dynamic creative team—Mary Hickson, actor Cillian Murphy, Bryce Dessner (The National), author Max Porter, and folklorist Billy MagFhlionn—SFSH25 continues its tradition of artistic risk-taking, built around the 37d03d residency.
SFSH x 37d03d pop up with Ólafur Arnalds ‘We Didn’t Know We Were Ready’
Tickets are on sale now via https://soundsfromasafeharbour.com/
Keep an eye out for additional announcements in the coming week
SFSH on social media:
www.instagram.com/soundsfromasafeharbour/
www.facebook.com/soundsfromasafeharbour/
SFSH is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Beamish, Cork City Council and River Lee Hotel.
