Planxty legend plays series of Clare gigs

MUSIC legend Andy Irvine will bring his talents to the people of Clare again this December.
For those who haven’t seen him live before, this is a must. For the veteran fan of Andy Irvine, and for those less initiated in his music his performances wow and remain a major talking point.
The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, plays The Market House Theatre in Miltown Malbay this Friday night, O’Grady’s Bar in Gort on Saturday and Glór, Ennis, on Wednesday, December 15.
The shows are part of his almost-nationwide tour to promote the release of his latest album, Abocurragh, a reference to his residence outside Enniskillen. The release of his first studio album in over 10 years is no small news. It has been described by those in the know as capturing a bewitching set of original arrangements and songs that have illuminated his concerts of recent years.
It is not just one man’s album; it is a gathering of great musicians and a dramatic journey for the listener. At the helm is producer Dónal Lunny, one of Andy’s longest running musical partners and, of course, Planxty compadre.
Otherwise the roll-call of musicians speaks for itself. Giants of traditional music, folk, rock and beyond, each one a key player in the Andy Irvine back-history: Liam O’Flynn, Máirtín O’Connor, Annbjørg Lien, Lillebjørn Nilsen, Nikola Parov, Jacky Molard, Bruce Molsky, Rens van der Zalm, Rick Epping, Graham Henderson, Paul Moore, Liam Bradley, Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton.
One of the tracks from the album, The Demon Lover, was nominated as the best traditional track in the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Andy Irvine’s longstanding journey through music has been well documented, from his early skiffle days to O’Donoghue’s Pub, set in 1960s Dublin, and through his work with Sweeney’s Men, Planxty, Paul Brady and Patrick Street, not to mention countless other collaborations and four solo albums.
This album, his fifth solo, has been a long time coming but when you consider the distractions; a widely publicised Planxty get-together, an incredible adventure with his world-folk ensemble Mozaik, regular Patrick Street sojourns and that endless trek around the world, you can excuse the delay.
He first came to prominence with Planxty but he had made a name for himself as a talented child actor long before that.
“I was involved in some stage work and television work as a young lad but nothing ever came of it. I was a very good child actor but never developed it. I think I lost my self-confidence as an actor, so lost the bug then. It’s not something I revisited at any other stage of my life,” he explains.
His original musical hero was Woodie Guthrie, the American folk singer songwriter.
“His music is magic and grabbed me as soon as I heard it when I was very young. Sometimes, when I’m singing still, I can hear strains of him in my own singing. I liked and still like everything about his music. To me, he was inspirational. He was my musical idol and hero.
“People tell me that about me now, which is funny, but what can you say to something like that. It’s a huge compliment and great to hear it, but at the end of the day I do what I do because I love it, and wouldn’t want to do anything else,” the musician comments.
As for the Clare performances, Irvine last played in Miltown Malbay about 18 months ago and promised to return again before too long, a promise he is now honouring. He also played in Glór a number of years ago.
“I can’t remember when my last Glór show was but I can remember it being a great show with a brilliant audience, who I really felt were on board with my music, so I’m very much looking forward to playing there again. Time doesn’t mean nothing these days, especially when I’m still busy,” he said, speaking to The Clare Champion from Austria this week, where he is touring with Patrick Ratzenbreck, playing acoustic guitar.
While Irvine cannot lay claim to any ‘real’ Clare connections, he says that he has many, many Clare friends, too many to list, but mainly all other brilliant musicians. “In my Sweeney’s Men days, we played a lot in Clare too and we were pretty much addicted to Willie Clancy’s piping and that whole scene. So my abiding memories and thoughts of Clare pretty much relate to things like that,” he adds.
In the new year, he has a number of interesting projects coming up, including a tour with internationally renowned guitarist John Doyle, a Dubliner, who has been living and touring in the States for many years.
“He is a phenomenal musician and an exceptional performer. I consider myself lucky to get to tour with him. The tour will take us to a number of Irish venues, including Limerick in early January (waiting to confirm venue and date).
“After that, we’ll be heading over to Glasgow for the Celtic Connections festival at the end of January, which is a fantastic festival to be involved in,” he said.
Tickets for his three Clare shows are available from each of the venues, from the Market House Theatre, Miltown Malbay on 087 6881650, for the Gort show from O’Grady’s Bar, Gort on 091 631096 or from SuperValu, Gort on 091 632784, and for the Glór concert from www.glor.ie or from 065 684 3103.