Chill out with Sunday session from folk trio The Whileaways

Local folk trio, The Whileaways will play The Crane Bar this Sunday, August 18.

The Whileaways are Nicola Joyce, Noriana Kennedy and Noelie McDonnell and their debut self-title album, featuring well-played, heartfelt and harmonious music, was released in May,  It was given a four-star review by The Irish Times, and they recently opened for Americana legend Tim O’Brien for his shows in Cloughanover and Dublin.

The band came about when Noriana was looking for musicians to join her on a tour of Australia and New Zealand.

“I was promoting Ebb ‘N’ Flow, my solo CD,” she explains. “Nic and Noelie are good friends and great musicians. We hadn’t formally played together but we had played in sessions around Galway.

“I booked flights and we all went out. Really, that’s where it started. The music clicked; Nic sang a few songs, Noelie sang a view, and it emerged that it wasn’t just a thing of my own. So we decided to form a band, a collaboration really.

“After four months touring in New Zealand and Australia we wanted to keep the band going, there was something special there. The vibe on-stage is great, how we work together.”

The band recorded their debut album in a log cabin just outside Tuam and they haven’t looked back since. Later this month they will travel to Denmark to take part in the hugely popular Tonder folk festival, so things are happening for The Whileaways.