Austrian virtual music club has taste for Irish

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

In pre-Covid-19 times, singer Seán Keane had been booked for a tour of Austria that would have seen him returning home around now. Instead, he’s busy in his garden in Caherlistrane as he explains that he’ll be on YouTube next Monday night, May 25, giving a short performance from his late aunts’ cottage as part of the Club Weltenklang mini-concert series.

Club Weltenklang is the roots music agency that is responsible for bringing Seán – and many other folk and world music artists worldwide – to Austria on tours.

Speaking from his home in St Poelten, Dietmar Haslinger, who runs it the club explains it all began with Seán Keane or something like that.

Reared by hippy parents, Dietmar had always been surrounded by music and loved it. As a teenager he had already amassed a huge vinyl-collection, including records from the Chieftains and the Bothy Band. But he didn’t start out promoting music.

“After 10 years in the bar/restaurant business I came across a culture festival, which I started to run and programme,” Dietmar recalls.

“That was when I heard of Seán Keane first. His debut album, There Were Roses, was given to me, and I booked him for two festivals in Austria in 1994. After we met, Seán asked me to work for him, and that was basically it.

“I changed from barman to tour-promoter and Seán and I still are friends working together. I booked 20 tours for him so far and he will come back to Austria in Spring 2021.”

Seán also recalls their first meeting.

“I was doing a couple of festival gigs in Austria and there was one in St Poelten. It was my first gig in Austria and I brought the Irish weather. It teemed. But to my amazement, people stayed. They were a lovely audience and I wanted to go back to Austria. I met Dietmar afterwards and one thing led to another . . .”

Seán and his band did a regular Austrian Christmas tour for six years and the event broadened out to become An Irish Christmas. Galway group, Dordán were the first to take part in that bigger event and it continued to grow. Dietmar eventually started running Spring tours too and performers including Seán Tyrrell, Lúnasa, the Alan Kelly Gang, Dervish, Alec Finn, Eleanor Shanley and Seán Ryan also took part.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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