Black Gate opens doors for new and established artists

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Talk to anyone associated with The Black Gate – artists, organisers, staff, sound engineers – and you will get a sense of the support that exists for Galway’s premier cultural centre.  Playing host to a broad range of performances, the Francis St venue has championed the arts in every form since opening its doors over three years ago.

Regular patrons attend all manner of gigs knowing that the experience, cavernous and candlelit, is likely to stick with them. It is unlike any other space in Galway and, for artists in particular, it is an invaluable asset.

When close friends Peadar King and Eamonn Day Lavelle founded the centre, they weren’t certain of what direction they wanted the project to take. There remains no end goal for The Black Gate.

Having recently started a record label (signing singer-songwriter Niamh Regan ahead of the release of her debut album), the operation continues to branch out with work in film, radio and literature going on behind the scenes.

It’s a vibrant medley of culture and, rather than dwell on the problems they face as a venue in the current economic climate, Peadar is keen to throw himself further into his work.

“When we first set up, the downstairs was the first part to get up and running because it was the part that was going to keep everything else going,” he recalls.

“Last year was a pretty good year and we were looking forward to 2020, the same as everyone else, and we had a lot of stuff built up.

“When Covid happened, we just accelerated a lot of our plans. We sat down and said ‘OK look, it’s unlikely that bars are going to be open in the same way for a while’ so we just decided to pursue all of the other plans and move them forward. We were working on them anyway so they’d always been in the background – even Niamh [Regan]’s album…

“We finished recording that last December so we’ve been working on it and holding it back and building stuff up. All of this stuff had been happening in the background but it’s given us an opportunity to fire on all cylinders.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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