I was recently contacted by a member of Save Our Skibbereen, a campaign to stop the plastic factory due for Skibbereen. They released an album to help fund a judicial review into the recent planning permission that was granted. The campaign has a CD of 17 songs, featuring excellent local musicians […]
Music
The fifteenth edition of the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival (CIGF) will maintain the expanded length established last year and see the most diverse line-up yet at this vital part of the west Cork festival calendar. As with last year, the festival will run from Monday to Sunday, the dates for […]
Justin Grounds describes himself as a violinist and composer. He explains, “Because violin is where I go to first, and composing is my favourite thing to do. And the way that that then manifests itself in my daily life is teaching, performing, making records, and whatever comes.” He is refreshing […]
I recently became a first time father. (Don’t worry I won’t start any sentences with, “As a parent…!”) Yesterday, I was listening to a live recording of Sammy Davis Jr. from 1973 singing his signature song, Mr. Bojangles, and when he got to the point where he impersonates the titular persona, […]
One of Ireland’s best small music festivals, The Baltimore Fiddle Fair (May 9–12, 2019), has built a loyal following of music fans from all over the world who return to the beautiful seaside village year after year. They do so to sample the unique delights of this remarkable little festival […]
Guitarist Bill Shanley is a Clonakilty-born session musician, songwriter, performer, and bandleader. He has performed and recorded with Sinéad O’Connor, Mary Black, Liam Clancy, Black Francis (of The Pixies), Paul Brady and Roy Harper, amongst many others. Though he left his childhood home of Shanley’s pub in Clon for Dublin […]