A lot of cash was spent on the hut – now it’s being put to unusual use

12:43, 05 May 2026Updated 13:10, 05 May 2026

The historic ‘Fireman’s Rest’ got a new roof and a new paint job ahead of its official opening(Image: Sara Rountree)

Cork city’s historic Fireman’s Rest hut – which cost a cool €400,000 to restore in 2023 – will be the stage for one of Ireland’s most unique stand-up gigs ever.

The 120-year-old hut used to stand on Patrick’s Street, and was used as a watch post for firefighters before being used as a meeting point for bus drivers. Later, the ageing hut was moved to a council-owned storage yard and left to languish in Fitzgerald’s Park from 2002.

Now the refurbished hut is enjoying its retirement on the forecourt outside the Angelsea Street Fire Station – but award-winning Irish comedian John Spillane (no relation to the Cork singer) is set to put it to use once again, as he stages three special 15-minute stand-up shows. To say that the performance will be intimate is an understatement, with room for a crowd of just five.

The show, Johnny Fire – part of the second Cork Fringe Festival – will take place on Thursday, May 7. Tickets for all of the festival’s shows are available on the Cork Fringe website – and if you’ve missed the chance to be one of the lucky Firemen’s Hut Fifteen, Spillane is putting on another show at Elizabeth Fort on Saturday and Sunday, where the comedian will perform in a full suit of armour.

Poster for John Spillane’s intime show(Image: Cork Fringe)

Cork Fringe directors Daniel Cremin and Ineke Lavers said: “This performance captures one of Cork Fringe Festival’s core aims: to activate unexpected spaces across the city and reimagine how they can be experienced through performance. We are delighted to be working with Fiona Collins and Cork City Council to create something special”.

Night-Time Economy Advisor Fiona Collins said: “The best nights out aren’t just good for business – they’re about creating genuine connection in the spaces we share. Great cities are built on exactly that, and we’re delighted to partner with Cork Fringe Festival to bring that spirit to life in Cork”

The Cork Fringe Festival will see venues all over the city transformed into lively performance spaces over the next week, with clowns taking over the Firkin Crane and Maureen’s bar becoming the setting for a night-time ghost story session.

Elsewhere you’ll be able to catch the team behind Cork-based travel podcast Wet Cold Irish Summer at the Pav , and a show by actor and comedian Eoghan Collins at the Roundy.

You can find the entire schedule for the Cork Fringe, which runs from May 8-May 10, here.