Brought to you by Cork Midsummer Festival. 

It’s going to be a celestial spectacle.

World-renowned UK artist Luke Jerram is inviting Cork audiences to explore the Sun up close through a huge, dazzling new artwork set to be installed in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral as part of Cork Midsummer Festival 2025.

Guaranteed to be one of the hottest tickets in town this summer, Helios will run at the iconic Cork venue from June 9th until June 21st with a special schedule on the solstice, June 21st, when it will be available to witness from dawn until dusk – 4.30am to 10.30pm.

The luminous masterpiece has been wowing visitors all over the UK. Each centimetre of this six-metre sculpture represents 2,300km of the real Sun’s surface. Visitors in Cork will see mesmerising sunspots and sources of solar flares to a soundtrack of live NASA recordings of our solar system’s power source.

 

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“Light and sound combine to create an awe-inspiring, immersive opportunity to bathe in the intensity of the Sun’s beauty and power – while reflecting on its vital role in shaping Earth’s climate and sustaining life.” say the organisers.

Co-commissioned by Cork Midsummer Festival, Helios is the fourth Irish premiere of Luke Jerram’s captivating work at the festival. Previous collaborations include: Museum of the Moon (presented in partnership with MTU, in 2016), 1000 Flowers (2018) and Gaia (presented by Belvelly Castle in partnership with St Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, in 2022).

Tickets to see Helios at St Finbarre’s Cathedral are €8 (€7 concession), and children accompanied by an adult are free. You can book your tickets now at corkmidsummer.com.

Main image: Bec Hughes