THE PAVILLION, THE much loved Cork music venue that closed over the summer, is to reopen in the New Year and be officially known by its nickname, ‘The Pav’.
The 93-year-old venue which started life as a cinema closed suddenly over the summer, much to the shock of Leeside music fans.
But just five months after the closure, a new team has taken over the entire premises and are to relaunch it in two stages beginning in January.
The downstairs bar will be the first to open and will be renamed ‘Pana’. The new owners promise it will serve locally sourced food during the day and music in the evening.
The Pav proper upstairs will then open in March after a new sound and lighting system is installed.
The team behind The Pav is led by the Togher trio of James Chisholm and brothers Kevin and Aidan Foley.
Chisolm is a former amateur and professional boxer who won six national titles and 12 professional bouts.
“This venue has a fantastic reputation and we knew we needed to get the very best to ensure that reputation continues to grow,” he explains.
“That’s why we’ve partnered with Edel Curtin and her team at ‘Coughlans Live’ to source and oversee the very best of live music for The Pav.”
The Pav served as a cinema until 1989 when it was re-modelled as a nightclub before being transformed into a respected live music venue.
The owners say that live music will continue to be an essential part of the new Pav and they plan on announcing an initiative to source new Cork acts early in the New Year.