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Tag Archives: music

Clare’s twin assault in ‘Ireland’s Traddest Family’

Three families with a passion for trad will go head-to-head for the title of Ireland’s Traddest Family this Saturday night live on the Ray Darcy Show on RTÉ One. The Doohan family from Lissycasey and the Ó’Dálaigh family from Ardnacrusha will compete in a showdown for the title of Ireland’s Traddest Family this Saturday night live on the Ray Darcy Show on RTÉ One along with the Durcan Family from Co. Meath. The Doohin Family are three generations that play music, sing and dance together. Included in the family are mother Margaret, her daughters Christina, Claire, Carmel, Caroline and Clodagh, her sons Derek and Dermot, and her grandson Stephen, all of whom have All Ireland titles in solo competitions, duets, trios, céile bands and grúpa ceoils. Family of seven, the Ó’Dálaighs are parents Tomás Ó’Dálaigh and Suzanne Uí’Dhálaigh, and their children Fionn, Cillian, Óisín, Seán, and Tara. The family have been playing for many years, entertaining tourists and locals in …

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Socks in the Frying Pan sizzling hot

SOCKS in the Frying Pan must be the most distinctive band name in Irish music today but the group are keeping its origin quiet. When asked, guitar player and vocalist Aodán Coyne was giving nothing away. “If I told you that, I’d get in a lot of trouble. The lads would kill me,” he said. The lads in question are the Hayes brothers, Shane (button accordion) and Fiachra (fiddle, banjo and bodhrán), who make up the trio with Aodán. All three are from Ennis and they will launch their next album, Without A Paddle, when they play at Glór on October 20. The three first began playing together in a popular Ennis venue. “We started about eight years ago in Cruise’s Bar, doing a session. We were there for about five or six years playing sessions and getting a bit tighter. We got that first CD out. We got a manager and an agent and we went over to the …

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Council spent more that €500,000 on the Fleadh

CLARE County Council spent more than half a million euro on the hosting of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ennis, it has been confirmed. The local authority spent €560,000 on the Fleadh, in addition to the council’s direct financial contribution of €75,000 to the event. The estimated spend by Comhaltas on the Fleadh was in excess of €1.1 million. According to Ger Dollard, interim chief executive of Clare County Council, the local authority’s contribution was used to pay for promotional activities, improvements to infrastructure and enhancements to the town. Outlining a report on the aftermath of the festival to members of the Ennis Municipal District this week, Mr Dollard stated that the benefit to the county from the Fleadh was “overwhelmingly positive”. He said, “The overall perspective is that Ennis was presented very well and performed very well.” A number of debriefs are currently underway among the various agencies involved with the Fleadh. However, Mr Dollard said that, overall, it …

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A feast of music at Fleadh

A huge number of people  are descending on Ennis  today (Thursday), ahead of the main competitive events that will determine who will take All-Ireland titles across 180 categories. The Fleadh Cheoil organising committee estimate in the region of 30,000 to 35,000 people attended the opening day events on Sunday, including 12,000 at the opening ceremony, the Boffin to Burren concert at Glór, the Tulla Céilí Band at Cois na hAbhna, the luminarium, aifreann traidisiúnta, the Gig Rig and evening pub sessions, as well as performers, volunteers, stage crews, security, TV crews and other service providers. This figure is expected to increase exponentially from today, with the influx of 6,000 competitors, their families and friends, as well as visitors and music and dancing enthusiasts. With this surge, gardaí are anticipating that opportunistic crime such as pickpocketing will occur and are advising the public to be mindful of this, particularly in large gatherings of people. Clare’s Garda Chief Superintendent John Kerin warned, “The real type …

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Christy McNamara Captures a Sense of Place

AN exhibition by Crusheen musician, photographer and raconteur has gone on display in Glór for the duration of the Fleadh and will give visitors a snapshot of the many great musicians and characters to have come out of the county. The photography exhibit, entitled Where the Heart Lies, features more than 40 original photographs, many unseen, as well as others which don the walls in the homes of household names such as Brad Pitt. He has taken the title, as well as some of the photographs, from a book of the same name which he produced with Peter Woods 20 years ago. Christy explains that he relied on this idea, Where the Heart Lies, because it was something that was emotive for him. “When you think about where your heart lies it’s home and it’s place”, and he said this idea of home is where the heart lies is what he wanted to convey in this exhibit. Having been invited …

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Rain fails to dampen Fleadh

After the street sessions on Monday and Tuesday, the rain on Tuesday night  kept the musicians indoors. Rain today (Wednesday) also curtailed matters outdoors but the spirit of the Fleadh continued in the Scoil Éigse classes with traditional Irish music, dance and singing. According to one of the organisers, the numbers attending the classes is at a record level of more than 900, which is evidence of the massive support for the Fleadh Down in Ennis. The classes are being attended by young people and adults from all over Ireland and farther afield. The main influx of visitors is expected tomorrow (Thursday) ahead of the weekend competitions.  

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Singing the blues in East Clare

DROMANDOORA will play host to UK British Blues Award winner Bex Marshall, at a venue that hopes to introduce East Clare audiences to an eclectic mix of performers. Bex has toured the UK, USA and Brazil in the last 12 months alone and has performed at Clonakilty Guitar Festival, headlined Crane Lane Theatre in Cork and The Rуisнn Dubh in Galway. Now she and  her three-piece band will take to the stage at Sam Doyle’s Music Club on Friday night. The British artist was nominated to the top three in Best Solo/Acoustic Artist 2015 in the European Blues Awards and won an award at the UK Blues Awards 2013 for Best British Blues Vocalist and Album. She has been compared to Bonnie Raitt, Joan Armatrading and Janis Joplin. Bex was personally chosen by Sam Andrew, Janis Joplin’s guitarist throughout her career, to be the voice of Janis on his 2014 European tour with San Francisco Nights. Ennis man Aiden O’Neill …

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Shannon girl in National Final

FIFTEEN year old Shannon girl Alice McGrath is in the final of Teenstars an All Ireland singing competition which will come to a conclusion on May 3. It will be on in the Westgrove Hotel in Kildare and Alice is one of just 32 remaining entrants from 1,200 who entered, meaning she is in the top three per cent. She is the only Clare finalist and the winner will pick up a €5,000 prize. Her mother Martina McGrath told the Clare Champion that Alice has sang a number of songs to reach this stage. ” In the first round she sang an Etta James song. To get through to the All Ireland final she sang I’d Rather Go Blind which is an Etta James song as well and for the final she’s going to sing A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cook.”  

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