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Arts & Culture

Doolin Folk Festival makes welcome return in early summer

AFTER its Covid-enforced hiatus of the past two years, the Doolin Folk Festival will make a welcome return this summer. The event will take place over three days from June 10-12, with three stages on the go at Hotel Doolin. Organisers have promised top Irish and international acts and among those confirmed are Damien Dempsey, Mary Black and Ye Vagabonds. Festival organiser and Hotel Doolin managing director, Dónal Minihane said “The festival is relatively new on the scene but it feels like it has been going on forever. “When I tell people it is only in its eighth year they can’t believe there wasn’t a festival here before. “Doolin is synonymous with folk music in Ireland and so many musicians and music lovers have a connection with the area, the festival just feels so natural. The weekend is a celebration of Doolin and the music that has drawn and continues to draw people here from all corners of the world.” …

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Aoife to showcase new music at Lahinch gig

LISCANNOR based musician Aoife Doyle will make her debut at The Whitehorse Sessions in Kenny’s Bar, Lahinch on Thursday, March 31. Aoife will perform with her band of stellar musicians pianist Johnny Taylor, bassist Peter Hanagan and drummer John Daly. She will be showcasing music from her brand new album ‘Infinitely Clear’ a soothing, soulful mix of jazz, folk, soul and blues which has garnered much praise across the airwaves. Aoife is originally from Bray but is now living in Clare. While she has been performing for many years, it was upon moving to the West Coast of Ireland that she found her songwriting voice. “In Clare I had more quiet time to reflect. The lack of billboards, traffic and other superficial stimulation makes life a lot simpler. “I think nature is the most primal form of creativity and living in the country and keeping a garden etc. you’re seeing the cycle of creation from seed to plant to harvest. …

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Celebrate Lá na Gaeilge with TG4 star at Ennis book shop

AN Ennis book shop is celebrating Lá na Gaeilge’ with a TG4 children’s star an event on Saturday. Love Leabhar Gaeilge will celebrate ‘Lá na Gaeilge’ in Scéal Eile bookshop on Saturday from 11am-1pm in the company of TG4 presenter Micheál Ó Ciaraidh. In conjunction with LoveLeabharGaeilge Scéal Eile Bookshop is hosting a children’s reading event where children can experience the enjoyment of reading as Gaeilge together with lots of fun with Micheál. This free event promises to be a fun filled event for children aged between 5-10 years of age. Love Leabhar Gaeilge is an initiative that works with book stores throughout the country to promote contemporary books as Gaeilge, for adults and children.  Through its many activities and events it aims to engage children and adults alike in the reading of Irish language books. Let your child’s imagination run free… be it with Rita the little girl with big ideas in the book Rita agus an Fathach or …

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Clare singer set for gothic folk gig in Glór

SONGWRITER and composer from Sixmilebridge, Louise (Lou) McMahon is back with a not-to-be missed Glór show, featuring the legendary Terry Woods. The pair are celebrating a 12-year long musical collaboration with a show that features original material and popular songs rooted in folk music. The gig is set to have an eclectic vibe with influences from pop-folk to folk-rock, psychedelic folk to gothic folk and ballads. The gig, on April 15 is appropriately, entitled Wide Eyed Folk. Louise’s voice is distinctive and euphonious, and her stage personal is mystical and exotic. She has been likened to folk singers such as Stevie Nicks, Joan Baez and Eddie Reader, yet has never compromised her own original sound.  Collaborator Terry is a multi-instrumentalist known for his membership of groups as The Pogues, Steeleye Span, Sweeney’s Men, The Bucks, Dr Strangely Strange and the short-lived Orphanage, with Phil Lynott. Super talented Lou has not been sitting too long on her laurels, despite the challenges all artists …

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Dates set for return of Scariff Harbour Festival

NEWS of the return of the Scariff Harbour Festival has been widely welcomed, after the pandemic forced its cancellation for the last two years.  The event will from July 29 to 31, and is set to be a major highlight on the county’s festival calendar. Organisers said they are still considering the impact that Covid may have on this summer’s event, but are promising a lively weekend that will showcase the rich heritage and culture of the area.  The Sunday night concert act has been confirmed as the Kilfenora Céilí Band. They make a very welcome return to East Clare have brought the town alive with music and dance during previous festivals.  Over the years, the annual event has brought a wealth of talent to Scariff and its environs and provided a forum for reflection on wider cultural and social issues. Details of the 2022 festival will be published on scariffharbourfestival.ie in the coming weeks and months. 

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Host of talent to seize the day for fundraising concert in Gort

SPRING is here, restrictions are lifted and music performers everywhere are ready and excited to rise and shine. The annual Carpe Diem (Rise and Shine) concert makes a welcome return after its Covid-induced hiatus. The brainchild of Coole Music School’s director, Katharina Baker, Carpe Diem is the theme for a series of commemorative fundraising concerts in memory of Eimear Noonan, and Eli Murray, two avid young musicians, who died tragically in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The 2021 concert, postponed due to ongoing pandemic concerns, will now be staged in Gort on Saturday, April 2, in Sullivan’s Hotel, at 7.30pm. This uplifting concert entitled Carpe Diem, Rise and Shine, celebrates a return to performing live music by young people and spans many genres. Seasoned performers of traditional and contemporary music, joining the young people, will enhance the proceedings. Irish conductor Sinead Hayes is usually found working with choir, orchestra and operas but on April 2 she will be present as master …

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Support scheme for live music in Clare seeks submissions

CLARE Arts Office has opened a call for musicians and promoters to submit ideas for live music performances throughout the county in May and June 2022. The third phase of the Local Live Performance Scheme, made possible with the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, is now open for applications following on from two previous schemes in 2021. These schemes were part of the Covid-19 response from the Department aimed at supporting the live music sector that was decimated during the pandemic. In Clare, more than 300 musicians, performers and crew were supported by Clare Arts Office through the previous schemes, with over 1,200 days of employment generated for the sector. The scheme, administered by the Arts Office of Clare County Council, saw performances in venues such as St Flannan’s Cathedral in Killaloe and the Teach Cheoil in Kilrush. Traditional music events took place countywide with contemporary music gigs happening from Doolin to Ennistymon. …

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WATCH: US visitors enjoy singsong at iconic Spanchilhill

A LARGE group of Americans visited the Cross of Spancilhll this week, part of a folk group from Michigan that travels to places they know of from songs. Local man Michael Brohan said the visit shows the extent of the reach of the song. “People know the song from the likes of Christy Moore and the Pogues and the great Robbie McMahon probably made it famous. It was a poem in the beginning, people think of it as a song but it was a poem at the start by an emigrant who went to America. “Robbie McMahon brought it to life in song and since then it’s been taken up by a lot of famous Irish singers, Christy Moore, the Pogues, the Dubliners, everyone sings it, it’s probably the most recognised ballad from Ireland. “Anywhere I’ve been around the world when people have a sing song Spancilhill is one of the first songs that come to mind.” Michael said that …

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