Clare Youth Service present Sippin’ and Strummin’ in Shannon

CLARE Youth Service will present Sippin’ and Strummin’, a monthly open-mic night, this coming Friday in the The Chillzone at the Resource Centre in Rineanna View, Shannon.
This week’s Sippin’ and Strummin’ will feature Lobster Johnson (unplugged), Stephen Molloy of 39 Shots and Chill, Obscure Essence (acoustic), Caolan Forde and Sam Lavery of G-String Sessions and Best Rapper In Clare, God Knows and James Houlihan.
The open mic will take place from 7 to 9pm and there is a small entrance fee, which includes a cup of tea. The event is strictly drug and alcohol free and is part of the Shannon Arts Project in conjunction with the Clare Youth Service.
The event is a new monthly venture which will have young people from the Shannon area hosting and performing at the new open-mic in the Resource Center in Rineanna View.
Over the coming months, it will feature a line-up of some the county’s best young songwriters and acoustic performers. The first event will play host to invited guests from Ennis and will be calling on performers from all over the county and beyond over the upcoming months to make sure that any musical talent gets a proper public airing in this intimate creative café environment. 
More Friday evening events for the youth are being planned, with everyone from DJs to artists getting on board.  The committee of volunteers are planning to create a unique and original atmosphere in the location, decorating the place appropriately to provide a positive alternative location for young people to engage in creative projects and endeavours. 
Jessica Simmonds of the youth service in Shannon said a meeting was held with the music committee which discussed organising a once-month-acoustic gig within the cafe. 
“We had our grand opening of the café recently and we were thrilled with the turnout.  We had about 20 to 30 people come down, so we’re hoping to organise more upcoming gigs and get more people involved in our café,” she added.