A lifetime of musical experience

HAVING spent years in London and spells working with legendary hell raiser Shane McGowan, Ron Kavana now lives a quieter life on the banks of the Shannon Estuary.
The Cork folk and traditional musician says the pace of life in Shanahea (between Kildysart and Labasheeda) suits him now.
“I’ve had it with big cities and living out of a suitcase. It’s quiet and peaceful here. During the cold weather very few people pointed out how beautiful the country was. It was like a winter wonderland here for a few weeks. I still managed to get in and out to Ennis for a few sessions and a few pints.”
Ron will be playing in Minogue’s of Tulla on February 5, where he’ll be joined by singer Annie Armstrong, Dave Harper (banjo, flute) and Conor Keane (accordian).
After first coming to prominence with Loudest Whisper in the 1970s, he moved to London where he worked with ACE Records, one of the world’s leading jazz, blues, country and RnB labels.
He also immersed himself in the Irish music scene in the UK capital, which was thriving at the time.
“All the time I’d have been playing in sessions in North London on nights off. A lot of the great names in Irish music were living there at the time.”
Ron spent time working as a session musician and worked with Shane McGowan when he did most of his best work as a songwriter.
“I would have known Shane before the Pogues. Both of us would have worked for Rare Records. After the Pogues started to happen for him, the first thing I would have recorded with them was the Sid and Nancy soundtrack.”
“He was writing at his peak, Fairytale and Fiesta. He was in great form at that stage.”
In 1988, he formed his own group Alias Ron Kavana, with much of the music combining his love for traditional Irish melodies and the rhythms of black American music.
“I was looking for a way to combine the two sides and it satisfied that urge,” he says.
His 2007 album Irish Ways won rave reviews around the world from publications like Sydney Morning Herald and the Telegraph.
The four CD set recounted Irish history, from pre-Christian times through to the Celtic Tiger. He takes pleasure from dealing with history and says he felt a certain obligation to write about the violence in the North.
“We’ve been in a very volatile situation in Ireland for a long time. We’ve had the Celtic Tiger and before that there was a Civil War in the North for 25 years. I felt it was important to write about that but it wasn’t always welcome by people.
“Every death that occurred seemed to drive the wedge deeper between the two communities. I felt as a public voice it was very important to say something about that, especially as the attitude of most southern politicians was to ignore it.”
His latest album was The Last of the Troubadours and it was the first one to consist entirely of original songs.
“I had concentrated on original material before but if something grabbed me I’d try and present it in my own way. That’s the formula I’ve had over the years.”
Nowadays, he largely sticks to the traditional side and that’ll be what people will see in Tulla.
“It’d be more acoustic and I’d stick more to the traditional style, although I like to mix it up a bit.”
To book tickets for the show at Minogue’s on February 5 call 086 8599957.