Sir Henry's

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'Sir Henry's' was a nightclub on South Main Street in Cork, Ireland, which opened in 1978 and closed in November 2001 with the building subsequently being demolished. The name is derived from Henry O'Shea who was a baker and building proprietor in the South Main street area of Cork city. The club was renowned for its Dance, Trance, R&B, Hip Hop and a regular live rock.

Key performances over the years include the late Phil Lynott, John Martyn's folk-inspired electric and acoustic sets, ex-Clash Mick Jones' Big Audio Dynamite, DJ's Shane Johnson, Greg Dowling and Stevie G.

On August 20, 1991, Sir Henry's hosted Sonic Youth who were supported by the then virtually unknown band Nirvana.

Sir Henry's is famous for the "Sweat" night, started in 1988 by Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson. The Sweat night was to become one of the top clubs in Europe in the early 1990s. Three-night long weekenders, with line-ups like Carl Cox, DIY, Laurent Garnier, Shades of Rhythm, Justin Robertson, Jon Pleased Wimmin, Billy Scurry playing side by side.

Over the 1990s Sweat built up a huge international reputation, being variously described as "a gorgeous blend of underground house" (i-D), a "deep house frenzy" (The Face) and "the best music on that side of the Irish Sea" (DJ Magazine). The night was one of Muzik magazine's ten best of 1998/99 and was named best regional club on three occasions at the Smirnoff Dance Club Awards.

As with anything, it evolved, the club evolved, the sounds evolved, and the crowd evolved with it. By the mid 90’s Sir Henry’s had become a house haven playing host to some of genre’s most beloved regularly, Kerri Chandler, Jovonn, Joe Claussell, Jerome Sydenham, Roger Sanchez, Glenn Underground, Boo Williams, Cajmere, Gemini, Derrick May, Kevin Yost, Migs, Rasoul, Fred Everything, Erik Rug, Harri, Needs, Calum Walker, Ralph Lawson, Charles Webster, Kevin MacKay, Herbert, DJ Deep, Mike Pickering, Graham Park, just to name a few.

None of the above DJ's will ever forget the first night they played in Sir Henry's - and many of them are on public record claiming the atmosphere in the club was quite unlike any other they have ever played in.

Short independent films such as "120 bpm"[1] and "The House That Cork Built" have paid homage to the Club as the focal point in Irish House music. Coupled with this is the emergence of Fish Go Deep (Greg Dowling & Shane Johnson) as one of the premier house acts in Europe. Their latest single, "The Cure & The Cause", recently hitting the top spot in the British dance charts.

The venue also hosted the well-known alternative club night Freakscene [2] for many years. A night that won countless awards, year after year, thus keeping other stiff competition off the top podium.

The venue was seen by many Corkonians as transcending nightlife to become an integral part of the fabric of the city and is remembered with affection. For example, legendary Cork hurler Brian Corcoran devoted a section of his autobiography, every Single Ball, to the venue, saying it was the only nightclub in which he truly felt comfortable.Corcoran, Brian (November 2006). Every Single Ball. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1845962001. 

The flyers and posters, designed by John McMonagle and crew of Raven Design, were obsessively collected by most regulars as souvenirs and in most cases, to fill in the blanks of the previous weekends.

The regular monthly 90 minute compilation tapes 'Sweat' as well as the yearly best of compilation mixes were eagerly awaited by the Cork public. Some of the most sublime dance tracks every played in the club feature on those mixes and are much sought after in 2008.

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Sir Henrys also ran the "Keep the Faith" 14 hour events with ever popular D.J.s Eddie B & AMC along with Greg & Shane drew huge crowds to the excellent Cork venue