Poetry on the Promenade: Cobh’s Poetry Jukebox
On the promenade overlooking Cork Harbour, Cobh Poetry Jukebox has brought words to life in a way that few projects ever have. The idea is simple but powerful — to make poetry part of daily life, not hidden away on shelves but spoken aloud in the open air, where everyone can hear it.
A temporary Poetry Jukebox was first installed in December 2022, outside the Port of Cork offices on Cobh’s waterfront. Visitors could stop, press a button, and listen to recorded poems by Irish and international writers. The collection featured voices from the “Poetry as Commemoration” project, including works by W. B. Yeats, Máire Mhac an tSaoi, and John Hewitt. It quickly became a highlight for locals and visitors alike — a little surprise on a seaside stroll, a place to pause and listen.
That first installation was only a temporary loan, but it proved something important: that Cobh has a hunger for art and language in its public spaces. The laughter, stillness, and reflection that came from those passing moments by the harbour showed how poetry can quietly unite a community.
Now, the Cobh Poetry Jukebox team is working to make it permanent. They are seeking to raise funds to install the town’s first permanent Poetry Jukebox, a lasting feature that will play an ever-changing selection of recorded poems — works from local writers, competition winners, visiting poets, and young voices from Cobh’s schools.
The permanent installation will become part of the town’s creative landscape, joining other artistic projects such as the Cobh International Poetry Competition and community poetry events. It will give residents and tourists alike a place to experience poetry in an unexpected, joyful way.
Encouraging all to stop, listen, and feel connected with our beautiful town and magnificent harbour.
Cobh Poetry Jukebox is a community-driven, non-profit project, run entirely by volunteers who believe in making the arts accessible to everyone.
It is supported by:
Quotidian – Word on the Street, Poetry Ireland, Centre Culturel Irlandais, the Irish Writers Union and many other local groups and is inspired by similar jukeboxes found in Dublin, Belfast, Prague, and Berlin.
If you would like to support the installation of Cobh’s permanent Poetry Jukebox, you can follow updates and fundraising news here.
A poem, a button, a harbour breeze. Together, they make something unforgettable.
Proudly supported by Great Island Creative Arts CLG.
Great Island Creative Arts 