Foreign voices that filled the year

To see the city's Millennium Hall festooned with the flags of all the nations of Europe was also to be reminded that it was through foreign voices that Cork reached its highest points of public awareness and enjoyment.

The sun-drenched summer concert by Andrea Bocelli at Collins Barracks was an utterly unique and unforgettable experience for more than 10,000 people. The portrayal of Shylock by a Polish actor in Corcadorca's presentation of The Merchant of Venice was so accented that every single word had to be listened to, with the result that every single word of this remarkable production, moving around the city streets on a summer's night, seemed newly-minted, heard for the first time. The sight of architects, artists and town planners from all over thronging the Opera House to hear the rich, New York-meets-European tones of designer Daniel Libeskind and to witness the stretch and the strength of his imagination, suggested some hope for the visual future of Ireland. As young Sam Lynch said, this was a year in which the city of Cork discovered what was possible.