A lovely treat for the thousands of employees at the Hollyhill campus

18:14, 31 Mar 2026Updated 18:54, 31 Mar 2026

Rita Ora performing at Apple(Image: The Boys and Girls of Knocka)

Cork’s Apple employees got to enjoy a rare treat this afternoon after popstar Rita Ora travelled to Leeside for a private gig to celebrate the company’s 50-year anniversary.

The tech giant flew the Let You Love Me singer for a closed show at the Hollyhill campus, where the company’s 6,000 employees got to enjoy their own concert to mark the occasion. Videos of the performance were shared on local social media groups like The Boys and Girls of Knocka, and it was no small-time production with a full-on stage and barriers wheeled out for the occasion.

It was good craic all round at the campus this afternoon, with the singer performing a full set of hits like Black Widow, Ask & You Shall Receive and more. Ora was supported by local Rebel musician Stephanie Rainey, who made a big splash on America’s Got Talent back in 2024 and has had several hits gain international attention.

It wasn’t all business for the UK pop sensation, who took some time to explore the Rebel County ahead of the gig. Snaps from the star’s Instagram account show her perusing the colourful cafés in Kinsale, and Ora was in good spirits, chatting with fans after the show wrapped up.

It’s not the first time Apple has flown out big-name acts to perform private shows on the northside. Back in 2024, the Sugarbabes made their way to Hollyhill to celebrate the company’s inclusion and diversity week, and prior to that, Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy performed a surprise lunchtime gig for employees.

Today’s events marked a major milestone for Apple, which first set up shop in Cork back in 1980. The Cork campus serves as the company’s European HQ, and Apple has remained a key employer on Leeside for the past 46 years, with more than 6,000 staff on the payroll.

The company certainly had plenty to celebrate this afternoon, as Apple’s latest tax filings show that its profits here in Ireland came in just shy of $81 billion last year.

Last month Taosieach Micheál Martin paid a visit to the company’s Cork campus to cut the ribbon on its newest building, Hollyhill 5. Staff started moving into the new office in June last year, but the official opening of the building marked a significant commitment to Cork’s tech sector.

The state-of-the-art workspace has the capacity for 1,300 staff, and runs on 100% renewable energy. At its height, construction of the new building employed 550 tradespeople, under the direction of local architect Scott Tallon Walker and general contractor P.J Hegarty.

The Taosieach said: “I’m delighted to open this state-of-the-art new facility in Hollyhill today and to see firsthand the major investment that Apple is making here. The contribution Apple has made in Cork and Ireland over the last 45 years cannot be overstated – creating thousands of highly-skilled roles and continually investing in their Irish operations.