Headline 2022

***THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT***

€10

Hilary Beirne (formally of Oatland Villa, Boyle) is well known for his extensive work with the Irish community in the United States. He is the founder and Chairman of NYC St. Patrick’s Day Foundation and for the past 25 years has been the principal orchestrator of the world’s largest and oldest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. He is an active member of the “Irish Ad Hoc” Committee in Washington DC, a member of the Executive Board at VotingRights.ie, an honourary member of the famed “Fighting 69^th” Regiment and serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the 69th Historical Trust. He is a member of both the Co Roscommon and Leitrim Societies of NY. Before emigrating to the US in 1988, Hilary Beirne introduced the “wrapping” of bale silage into the West of Ireland, then a new innovation in farming while working for Volac Animal Feeds as Area Manager for Connaught.

Carole Coleman is a well-known broadcaster and author. A native of Carrick-on-Shannon, she has worked in a number of roles for RTE and presents  This Week and World Report on RTE Radio One

€15

With

Conor Linehan – piano

Matthew Berrill – clarinet

Phil Robson – guitar

Rath Cruachan is a new five-part suite by Ronan Guilfoyle, commissioned by Roscommon County Council, that is inspired by the ancient history and the geography of Roscommon.  Rath Cruachan, the Megalithic Celtic site almost right in the centre of Roscommon, was according to legend, where Queen Medb ruled from, and where the phantom queen The Morrigan is said to have emerged from the underworld at the cave of Owneygat.

Just as the piece is inspired by history and geography, it is also inspired by both classical and jazz music and features pianist Conor Linehan in a central role on the King House Steinway, and he will also be joined to the noted jazz musicians guitarist Phil Robson, and clarinettist Matthew Berrill. Each movement represents an aspect of Roscommon history, and/or geography, with the interaction between the players mirroring the interaction between that history and geography. The themes of the suite include Queen Medb, The Morrigan, Lough Rí, Lough Key, and Rath Cruachan itself.

Apart from the new suite, the concert will also include additional jazz and classical pieces, and the musicians will be joined by the composer in this part of the programme.

€25

Master musicians John Carty & Mike McGoldrick come together for this highly anticipated performance. John Carty is a leading exponent of the North Connacht style and has impressive knowledge of the music of Sligo emigrant musicians. Carty was awarded the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Traditional Music of the Year award in 2003. He has released several solo albums on fiddle and banjo including I Will If I Can, Last Night’s Fun and At It Again. He has also recorded a number of duet albums including Pathway to the Well and Out of the Ashes with flute-player Matt Molloy, At Complete Ease with fiddle-player Brian Rooney, Settle Out of Court with his daughter, the singer and banjo player Maggie Carty and most recently The Wavy Bow Collection with his son, fiddle player James Carty.

He has been joined in this musical exploration by accomplished piper, Mike McGoldrick.
A co-founder of Flook and Lúnasa, and a linchpin of Capercaillie’s line-up since 1998, Manchester-born flute/whistle and uilleann pipes maestro Michael McGoldrick has in recent years performed around the globe in ex-Dire Straits legend Mark Knopfler’s band – including a tour with both Knopfler and Bob Dylan. Despite this lengthy list of stellar collaborations, though – also including Youssou N’Dour, Zakir Hussain, John Cale and the Transatlantic Sessions – his true genius lies in his own trailblazing work as a player and composer, brilliantly showcased on his three solo albums to date. On top of all his other projects he also fronts the exhilarating Michael McGoldrick Band.

Together John and Mike will explore the exciting and innovative combination of the banjo with uilleann pipes, as well as utilising fiddle, tenor guitar and flute. They will be joined  on the night by the much sought after accompanists, Michael McCague and Matt Griffin on bouzouki and guitar respectively.

€10

Brian Leyden is an Irish novelist, short story writer, memoirist, playwright, screenwriter, librettist, editor, and publisher with Lepus Print. His most recent novel is Summer of ’63 (2016). Other books include the bestselling memoir, The Home Place (2002/ 2014), the novel, Death and Plenty (1996), the short story collection, Departures (1992) and Sweet Old World: New & Selected Stories (2015). He is also co-writer of the feature film, Black Ice, (2013) which received an IFTA Best Actress nomination and was recently acquired by Netflix. His fiction and essays have been widely anthologised and broadcast on radio, including Sunday Miscellany and A Word in Edgeways. His creative writing workshops for the Hawk’s Well Theatre in recent years are consistently booked out. Recent awards include, An Chomhairle Ealaíon Arts Council of Ireland Agility Award (2021), Professional Development Award (2021 and Council of Ireland Covid-19 Response Award (2020). Hawk’s Well Theatre: Come Together (Writes and Composers, 2020). Creative Ireland Award  (2018) script commission for the “Famine Attic” Carrick-on-Shannon, Co.  Leitrim.’ Walking Birds’ Mountain’, Creative Ireland, Sligo and the Factory Theatre collaborative arts project (2018/2019) for the Tread Softly Festival.  The Sheemore Ambush for the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

Una Mannion is a writer and teacher. Her debut novel A Crooked Tree was published in 2021 and was nominated for the An Post Irish Book Awards and  winner of the Kate O’Brien Prize. Her short stories have been published in journals and anthologies including The Art of the Glimpse: 100 Irish Short Stories. She is the editor of The Cormorant, a broadsheet of poetry and prose and is programme chair of the Writing + Literature BA at IT Sligo

€30

The 10 piece Wolfgang Ensemble  is made up of some of the Ireland’s  finest  musicians;

This evening’s  concert includes The Four Seasons by Vivaldi with soloist Lynda O’Connor and Inislacken by Bill Whelan where Lynda will be joined by RóisínWalters.

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, composed in 1723 is probably his most famous work for violin.

Inislacken by Bill Whelan is a concerto for two violins, (one in the classical style and one traditional) . Inislacken was named after an island off the Galway coast.

Lynda O’Connor is one of the leading Irish violinists of her generation. Showing early promise, she made her début appearance at the National Concert Hall, Dublin when she was just four years old. Lynda has collaborated with such wonderful artists as Michael Collins, Richard Watkins, Barry Douglas, Chee Yun Kim, Andreas Diaz, Nobuko Imai, Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin and Dr. Carol Leone.

Irish violinist Róisín Walters enjoys an exciting and varied career encompassing solo performances, chamber music and orchestral projects. She has been described as displaying “passion and ravishing tonal qualities” her playing “had a gorgeously honeyed, heart-melting quality” (Irish Times).

€20

Lisa Lambe is one of Ireland’s best-known singers and performers. Described by the Irish Times as “The finest singer and actor of her generation”, and by PBS, USA as “Inspirational”. Irish Music Magazine declared “Lisa Lambe is a major Irish voice. A stylish songwriter with a sound that is original and  enduring”.

She was recently named Rough Trade’s Rising Star with her voice described by Hotpress Magazine as having a “truly beautiful tone, Lambe’s voice is sumptuous and shines brightly”.  She released her third solo album; ‘Wild Red’ in December 2021 and it went straight to BBC radio, becoming ‘Album of the Week’

The Sunday Independent described her songwriting as “Songwriting Joni Mitchell would be proud of”.

Lisa’s first album, ‘Hiding Away’ was recorded in Nashville with producer Gavin Murphy and was RTÉ Radio One Album of the Week. Her second album, ‘Juniper’, was written in the west of Ireland and recorded at Attica Studios in County Donegal, with producer Karl Odlum.

Juniper was Album of the Week for BBC Sounds and praised by The Irish Times as “Evocative and tenderly crafted”, and by Red Guitar Music UK as “Gorgeous” and “Stunning”, Hotpress Magazine declared it “An absolute standout”.

Lisa describes her latest album Wild Red as being “made by the fireside, written in the quiet, inspired by old stories, local lore, current landscapes and new states of mind…” Written at Ocean Studios Ireland, in West Cork, in a remote beautiful studio setting looking out to the wild Atlantic. Lisa was inspired greatly by local folklore for this project, and delved into the world of the mermaid myth in Irish lore for some of the songs. Landscape and a sense of place are very present in Lisa’s songwriting and this intimate album is a showcase of Lambe’s  songwriting talent.

Lisa is delighted to be a featured artist at Boyle Arts Festival this year

€15

Sharon Mannion is a comedian and writer best known for her role as ‘Concepta’ in the RTE 2/UKTV hit comedy, ‘Bridget & Eamon’.

She recently won a Writers Guild of Ireland Zebbie Best Radio Script Award for her RTE Radio 1 play ‘Stuck’, and the radio version of her highly successful one-woman comedy show ‘The Curse of the Button Accordion’ was nominated for a Celtic Media Award in 2019. She also recently wrote and recorded, ‘Treading Water’ with Sideline Productions for RTE Radio 1 as part of their highly successful Comedy Showhouse series.

She is a co-writer on ‘Blasts from the Past’, a historical sketch show for RTE with Firebrand Productions, and wrote and produced ‘Screentime’ with Lucky Punch productions for RTE Jnr and has written political satire for ‘Callan’s Kicks’ on RTE Radio 1, and recently wrapped as a writer and performer on ‘You Couldn’t Make It Up’, a topical comedy panel show for Newstalk FM.

Sharon has also worked as a script writer and performer on several seasons of ‘Republic of Telly’ RTE 2, co-wrote and produced ‘Tidy’, a comedy mini-series centred around the Tidy Towns Committee of a small rural town, for ‘Comedy Bites’, a digital short initiative for RTE Player, and also wrote and performed for The Nualas, on their ‘Lock Up Your Husbands’ nationwide tour.

She performs as a stand up at clubs and festivals all over Ireland and the UK including The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival – Kilkenny, Vodafone Comedy Festival – Iveagh Gardens Dublin, Vodafone Comedy Carnival, Galway, and she is the weekly host of The Comedy Cellar at the International Bar, the longest running comedy club in Ireland.

Further FILM/TV credits include ‘Provision’, ‘Michael Inside’ (Pathway Films, directed by Frank Berry), ‘Irish Pictorial Weekly’ (RTE), ‘Damo & Ivor’ (RTE), ‘Prosperity’ (RTE, directed by Lenny Abrahamson), ‘Roy’ (BBC) and more. She has also narrated two series of RTE’s ‘Don’t Tell the Bride’.

For tonight’s performance she is supported by comedian Ian Coppinger

One of Irelands busiest comedians award winning Ian is a regular on the world comedy circuit having played to packed houses at the Edinburgh, Melbourne, Montreal Just For Laughs, Galway, Electric Picnic, Glastonbury, Glasgow, Dublin, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Wellington comedy festivals. Ian is also one of a handful of acts who has been invited back year after year to perform at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival since 1995 and has performed throughout Europe,  North America, the Middle East and Far East. A regular on all the major stages in Ireland and the UK, Ian has become a regular compere at the world famous Comedy Store in London

**This event is now sold out**

€20

Bringing you a brand of High Energy Swing music you will never forget!

The Swing Cats are a 6 piece band led by award winning vocalist Luke Thomas who have amassed a huge following throughout Ireland and Europe thanks to their distinctive sound and style which is steeped in the golden age of swing music.

*Limited seating available on a first come first served basis

€20

Irish mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty is a singer who has firmly established a reputation as a respected interpreter of both early and contemporary works, alongside maintaining a busy schedule in mainstream opera and concert repertoire. She is an alumna of the RIAM Dublin, MDW Vienna, and Oper Frankfurt Young Artist Programme, and is currently an Artistic Partner to Irish National Opera as well as a Creative Associate on the Irish Arts Council pilot “Creative Schools” scheme.

Regularly praised for her musicality and intelligence, her integrity as an artist and the warmth, clarity and agility of her voice, her opera repertoire includes many of the important lyric and coloratura mezzo-soprano roles, such as Hänsel, Dido, Ruggiero, Dorabella, Cherubino, Ariodante, Orfeo and Sesto. On the concert platform her repertoire spans most of the major sacred concert works, including all the principal works by J. S .Bach as well as Messiah, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and a broad song repertoire in addition to numerous chamber music works. She is also a dedicated song recitalist, most recently appearing in performances with pianists Finghin Collins, Jonathan Ware and Graham Johnson.

Career highlights to date include her London and Amsterdam opera debuts with The Second Violinist at the Barbican Theatre, and the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, her Wexford Festival Opera debut as Lucy Talbot in the European première of William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight, the title role in Irish National Opera’s critically-acclaimed Orfeo ed Euridice and her debut at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, where she premiered a new opera, Proserpine by Silvia Colasanti, to critical acclaim.

A regular collaborator with orchestras across Europe, her discography includes La Traviata on Naxos DVD with the NDR Radiophilharmonie alongside Thomas Hampson and Marina Rebeka as well as The Mountebanks (Gilbert/Cellier) on CD with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Her most recent CD, a disc of Schubert songs with pianist Jonathan Ware, was released in May 2020.

www.sharoncarty.com

Photo by Frances Marshall

€20

Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland, from Meath and Tyrone, have been making music together since 2007. Their sound is inspired by a range of influences that include the writings of Patrick Kavanagh and John Fante, the music of Billie Holliday and Patrick Sky, and the paintings of Jack B Yeats. The Guardian described their most recent album, ‘After The Fire After The Rain’, as ‘sublime’ while The Irish Times stated that the album was ‘deeply soulful’.

When Iggy Pop played ‘After The Fire’ on his BBC 6 Music Show he described it as ‘so nice.’ The release was their sixth album to date. Pre-production took place in Dublin with Stephen Shannon – the album was then recorded in Brooklyn NYC with Tony Garnier and Daniel Schlett at the production helm. The release features guest appearances from a range of artists including M Ward, Jolie Holland, Steve Wickham, Mike Coykendall and Howe Gelb. Mojo Magazine, The Irish Times and Hot Press included the record in their ‘Albums Of The Year’. The album was also shortlisted for the Northern Ireland Music Prize 2020 and awarded ‘Album Of The Day’ from BBC6 Music and ‘Album Of The Week’ at RTE Radio 1. The lock down on live music struck two weeks before the band were due to tour these new songs-.

⭑⭑⭑⭑ THE GUARDIAN ⭑⭑⭑⭑ IRISH TIMES ⭑⭑⭑⭑ MOJO ⭑⭑⭑⭑ UNCUT ⭑⭑⭑⭑ RECORD COLLECTOR ⭑⭑⭑⭑ HOT PRESS ⭑⭑⭑⭑ NME ‘PURE MAGIC’ – ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE FRANCE ‘A duo at the top of their game’ THE SUNDAY TIMES Discography 2008- Trails Of The Lonely Parts I and III (Portland Oregon) 2011-So Long John Fante (Sheffield England) 2013- Passing Of The Night (Nashville Tennessee) 2014 – New Songs Of Dawn And Dust (Liverpool England) 2018- Halfway Towards A Healing (Tuscon Arizona) 2020- After The Fire After The Rain (Brooklyn New York) Some irrelevant small facts n’ stories you may not know about The Lost Brothers… -For Lost Brothers’ second LP Richard Hawley let the band use a selection of his guitars and instruments to record with at Yellow Arch Studios Sheffield. – Mark is a cousin of Lonnie Donnegon. – Since The Lost Brothers began they’ve recorded or toured with many including Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, Richard Hawley, The Handsome Family, M Ward, Jimmy Webb, Jolie Holland, Howe Gelb, members of The Coral and Old Crow Medicine Show, Brendan Benson and many more. -Lost Brothers have recorded a Christmas Album with Bill Ryder-Jones formerly of The Coral, members of O Emperor, and Drew McConnell from Liam Gallagher’s band were all involved too. -Oisin and Mark were in Lee Mavers’ The La’s for two weeks. Lee returned the favour by playing bass with Lost Brothers. – On the brand new forthcoming Losties album Bob Dylan’s bassist Tony Garnier plays a bass that was owned by jazz Luminary Charles Mingus “On the first day of recording” remember the Losties “Tony showed us the double bass he was playing and it had the word “Mingus” scratched in the wood. It was the actual bass Mingus used on many of his seminal albums. That was special.” -Mark’s old Band The Basement did the last ever Joe Strummer Tour. Joe talked jazz records with them, was an absolute gent, and even signed their snare drum. The year after Strummer’s passing Losties went and played Glastonbury at the Joe Strummer Bonfire. – Oisin sang a verse and plays guitar on The Arctic Monkeys’ record “Baby I’m Yours”. – Lost Brothers were invited to be part of “ The Roy Orbison Anniversary Album” by the late Barbara Orbison. “We flew to Nashville to audition in this skyscraper called The Orbison Building. They sat us on the audition couch and said “sing.” We got the job. They took us in the basement where we had to listen through the vault of recordings and choose a song.” – When Lost Brothers are off the road Oisín runs a monthly Folk Club called Joey Procida’s Folk Club who have had appearances from the likes of Villagers, Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, Willy Mason, Doug Paisley, Lisa Hannigan , Steve Gunn and many more. Mark runs his own record store Boneyard Records in Omagh Co. Tyrone snd has had many visitors over the years. – Oisin’s Great Uncle was in the film Sahara with Humphrey Bogart. -Mark’s previous band The Basement played the Camden Barfly in the early noighties…a little known USA band called Kings Of Leon were the support act…it was their first UK gig…later that night there was a ten hour after show at The Columbia Hotel in West London. -Oisin’s former group The 747s played the main stage at Isle Of Wight , did the first ever Raconteurs Tour in the UK and opened for many including The Strokes. -M Ward went to see Lost Brothers gig in London and ended up playing electric guitar on the brand new album. – Before Lost Brothers Oisin was The Specials’ singer Neville Staples rhythm guitarist for a a few months – “We did a tour of Spain” recalls Oisin “ all the venues were bullrings. Hearing Neville sing Ghosttown each night tore the house down. I couldn’t play electric guitar but he loved my suit!” – When Lost Brothers recorded their debut album in Portland Oregon in 2007 they were visited by a studio ghost who threw open a bolted studio door. The visitation was captured on tape. Listen to track 13 of “Trails Of The Lonely” to hear the spooky encounter. Years before Lost Brothers were even born in the 1950s Mark’s grandfather had a traveling band called The Moore Family – they performed at The Plaza Ballroom in Buncranna Co. Donegal where Oisin’s Grandmother played piano and collected the glasses. Earlier this year in February 2019 on the morning recording began for “After The Fire After The Rain” in New York -The Plaza was sadly burnt to the ground by an electrical fault and was completely destroyed. -Oisin speaks fluent Italian and lived as a busker in Naples for 2 years. -Lost Brothers once met Levon Helm Of The Band and played his famous Midnight Ramble in Woodstock upstate New York. They then did a six week USA theatre tour with Glen Hansard which ended at The Fillmore San Francisco. – Lost Brothers have recorded Bob Marley songs with Brendan Benson from the Raconteurs. These recordings are in the losties vault. – The Lost Brothers were originally called A Weird Pear.

€30

Legends of the 80’s and 90’s Irish music scene, Something Happens are one of the Irish bands of the period who trail-blazed a commercial path across the country and beyond. While not recording anymore (singer Tom Dunne is a well-known radio presenter) they still play live occasionally to their adoring fan base. With a catalogue of hit singles at their disposal, the Something Happens live show is always a special occasion

€20

*Please note this is a standing only gig*

The debut album from Soda Blonde may be called Small Talk, but if there’s one thing the Dubliners do not do, it’s mince words. Out July 9th via Velveteen Records, the entirely self-produced album saw the group reflecting on their twenty-something experiences with refreshingly honest transparency.

“To put it simply, Small Talk is about life in our 20’s,” says Faye O’Rourke, Soda Blonde’s enigmatic front woman. “Every part of us is in here, both subliminally and literally. Lyrically, this record is like a collection of my flaws and insecurities. They’re lingering awkwardly by the bar at a crowded social gathering, waiting to integrate with the wider world”.

The album’s titular lead single  is Soda Blonde’s way of taking a seat at the table of their own narrative, and its glittering alt-pop hooks present the foursome as a compelling collective voice in music.

All four band members (O’Rourke, guitarist Adam O’Regan, drummer Dylan Lynch and bassist Donagh Seaver-O’Leary) are seasoned musicians, despite their youth. They have been playing together since their early teens, with their previous band – the internationally renowned Little Green Cars, whose seminal debut album skyrocketed to number one on the Irish album charts. O’Rourke is the first to admit that when Little Green Cars called it a day, she felt lost. But a career shift for the four musicians wasn’t in the cards – and Small Talk is self-evident proof, different than anything the group have released before, but carrying on its back all the things they’ve learned

Wholly unafraid to admit her flaws and defiant in the face of the world’s misconceptions, O’Rourke litters the songs on Small Talk with tension, playing with the reliability of personal experience. While examining the intricacies of big subjects – religion versus science; good versus bad; fate versus choice – Small Talk also seeks to unpack O’Rourke’s own conditioning. Self-assuredness grapples with societal pressures, anger battles it out with contentment, and frustration with a divide – between personal relationships and the world at large – is ever-present.

“With feminism on one shoulder and trans-generational Catholic guilt on the other, it’s hard to find your way as an Irish woman,” O’Rourke says. “The truth is, I’ve found that process of deprogramming myself extremely hard, and now I lie somewhere between the past and future.

“Small Talk touches on many things: indulging in the darkness, while also trying to derive some meaning from it; on having no degree; on the way I sabotaged multiple relationships, or let my parents down. It’s about looking for resolution and revolution in sex and politics. It’s about being abused mentally and physically by the people you love the most, and in turn, abusing the people who love you. It’s about my first heartbreak at 14, how it’s still intrinsically a part of me and the shame and embarrassment that it brings. It’s about having something you thought was a sure thing, like your career, ripped out from underneath you. It’s also about the idea of optical virtue over the reality of how we treat those around us”.

Through all of this, the band never claim to be role models. Undeniably a coming-of-age record, Small Talk is a dazzling portrait of someone who isn’t afraid to hold the messy parts of herself up for questioning. Between tightly stacked percussion and effervescent, radio-ready melodies sit plain-spoken truths and the hard-learned lessons of a group still at the start of what is sure to be a long journey.

€15

Beezneez present the much requested revival tour of  John McDwyer’s  classic comedy which has become his most popular play and a staple of amateur groups all over Ireland.

Described by the author as “a mad play about mad people who are content with their madness”, “Unforgiven” is a rip roaring comedy about two men, PJ and his brother Seamus who are awaiting their father’s death while their neighbour Mary is nursing her mother through her final illness.

When the father dies and another brother returns from America, a chain of events are set in place which results in an unexpected and hilarious outcome.

With a completely new cast of  Peadar Conway, Brian Gallagher, Valerie Traynor and Barry Deignan , Unforgiven is a guaranteed Beezneez ‘Good Night Out’.

€25

The Celtic Tenors – three tenors, one voice

 With a polished international reputation and just over a million album sales under their belts, The Celtic Tenors offer something truly unique. The skill, range and ability of world-class tenors combined with the personality and fun of genuine performers.

Matthew Gilsenan, James Nelson and Daryl Simpson have performed together as the Celtic Tenors for over fifteen years , they offer more than beautiful voices and musical knowledge. Comfortable in all genres from classical and folk to Irish and pop, they bring their audience on a real musical voyage. A relaxing and wonderful evening’s entertainment is guaranteed.

The Celtic Tenors have broken new ground by stepping away from their classical roots, and adding a more contemporary edge. With this pioneering approach, they’ve welcomed a wider audience and fostered a fresh and invigorating style which has won them both critical acclaim and so many fans the world over.

From their No. 1 Chart Positions in Ireland & Germany, (and No. 2 in the UK ) to their three platinum selling albums, their international reputation continues to grow. Across the Atlantic, they have achieved Top Ten spots in both US Billboard and Canadian Charts. Having given private performances to world leaders from Bill Clinton to Kofi Annan and many more in between, the Celtic Tenors are a real worldwide phenomenon. They’ve also shown a remarkable ability to capture the hearts of sports fans in international stadia from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Dublin and Glasgow at opening ceremonies and interval shows.

And they are the only tenor group with a truly global audience…whether playing a neighbourhood cathedral or major concert halls in international cities like New York, Amsterdam or Shanghai, professional and most of all, good humoured performances are assured. They genuinely love what they do and you’ll see that shine through in each rendition of beautiful Celtic songs like the haunting Danny Boy and exhilarating classics like Nessun Dorma.