Larry is based on O’Connor’s “My Oedipus Rex”.  Guests of the Nation, for which renowned contemporary composer Niall Byrne has created an orchestral score, has not yet seen the light of day in Cork. This programme combines the charm of a domestic tale told from a child’s point of view (with lots of child’s eye views of 1950s Cork streets) and the quiet magnificence of Johnston’s elegant tale of war and friendship told on a shoestring — now elevated  to greater heights with the lush new score.

Born Michael Francis O'Donovan on Douglas Street in 1903, O’Connor was a prolific writer and translator, having published novels, poetry and journalism. His work as a short story writer earned him an international reputation. Much of his writing was shaped by his impoverished Cork childhood and his experiences of the Civil War.

Preceding these will be a screening of newly discovered film from the Festival archives, covering the 10th edition of the Cork International Film Festival. Directed by Cork County librarian and local historian Pádraig Ó Maidín, it captures the great and the good on the red carpet as well as pulling back the curtains on the behind the scenes activities.