Keane tops the bill in Scariff

SINGER Sean Keane will headline this year’s Scariff Harbour Festival, which runs over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Performing at Sacred Heart Church on Thursday, August 2 at 8pm, Sean returns to East Clare for his first Clare performance of 2012.

His last performance in the Banner County was in Tulla at the launch of the Cnoc na Gaoithe project last December.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, Sean said he is looking forward to the forthcoming concert.
“I always enjoy playing in Clare. I have got cousins in Corofin, so I used to spend my summers down there, playing music and going to all the festivals, dances and playing for ceilís in the hall. I have indeed fond memories of playing there and ever since I started playing music I’ve spent a lot of time down at the Willie Clancy  Week, although it has been a few years since I was down there,” he outlined.
This is his first time performing at the Scariff Harbour Festival, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this summer. The organisers are delighted to welcome this seasoned singer to join them in celebrating their birthday.
“I started singing when I was six years of age. I was part of a family who played music and sang songs. The fleadh ceoil came to Tuam when I was about seven so I was kind of asked if I’d learn to learn a song for it. I’d been tipping away singing a few bits and pieces but I learned May Morning Dew and sang that. My mother was a singer and played fiddle so she prepared me for the fleadh and I got first place in the county fleadh in Tuam. Then I went to Connacht and got to first place in that and then I went to the All-Ireland and I got first place in that, so I was getting to travel around the country to different places and I thought this is great fun,” Sean explained.
He continued performing at fleadhs into his teenage years, earning himself 13 All-Ireland medals. When he was around 15 or 16 however, other things such as sports came on the scene and his singing was put on the back boiler, until “I got a little bit sensible again” he says.
His singing took him to London initially where he joined the band She Gui. Staying with them for about two years, he got a feel for touring as they played a number of venues across Europe.
He went on to tour America with his sister Dolores Keane, Martin O’Connor (accordion), Eamon Curran (piper) and John Faulkner, with the band Reunion. He then joined the seven-piece Arcady, formed by Ringo McDonagh and after a year and a half with them, he decided to pursue a solo career.
“In the meantime, I had got married to (his late wife) Virginia, and she encouraged me to pursue singing as a profession. I said I would but that the only way I would do that would be if she managed me and she agreed to do that. Virginia managed my career and I’ve enjoyed the music ever since and continue to do so,” Sean explained.
“All of the songs I recorded, they all meant and mean a lot to me. I don’t listen to too much of it but if I was to go back and listen, a lot of it would be about the time of my life when they were recorded,” he said.
Sean revealed he has decided to record towards the end of this year after a short absence from the music scene, but at this stage it is just in the planning stages.
“I didn’t concentrate too much on the music for the last while so I’ve been doing my usual European tours. I was in Austria in May, Canada next month and America in September and in Germany in October/November so those tours are still in place and I continue to do them. I’m back at it a bit more now. I do enjoy touring and at this stage I go back to the places where I would have played before so I’m going back to meet friends really,” he concluded.
Sean Keane’s concert is the only ticketed event as part of the Scariff Harbour Festival and booking information is available from O’Meara’s Pharmacy (061-921028) or Rodger’s Off-Licence (061-921012).