First Friday gigs kick off at Ballina-Killaloe

THE Basement Bar of O’Donovan’s in Ballina-Killaloe is a new venue to experience the very best of Irish entertainment in a very intimate setting.
The First Friday Sessions, presented by Music4you.ie, will run through the autumn/winter and the audience will be limited to 100.
The series will begin on  Friday, October 1 with Eleanor McEvoy and continue with John Spillane on November 5 and Mary Coughlan on December 3.
Eleanor McEvoy will be performing songs from her new album I’d Rather Go Blonde, her eighth album in a 20 year career, which has seen McEvoy establish herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer/songwriters. Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance. I’d Rather Go Blonde was released this week.
John Spillane is a musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet, dreamer – a canvass filled with colour and brilliance. His music transports the listener; his live performance captivates the audience. In a world filled with strife and upheaval, a time-out with John Spillane is enough to ease the load a bit on anyone lucky enough to bask in his light. He is a twice winner of the meteor award in the best folk/trad category.
Mary Coughlan is an impassioned performer who expresses herself best through the words and tunes of others. Coughlan is not a rock singer, but she gives pieces such as Moon in a Taxi Cab an authenticity that few rockers retain after their first flush. Neither is she a jazzer, yet she wraps her voice around the contours of Some Cats Know (Leiber and Stoller) as sexily as Peggy Lee in her prime. It is true; Tom Waits has met his Irish match.
For booking, contact Jack on 086 8134460.