Entertainment
Fun for all the family at annual CurraFest
The 2013 CurraFest Outdoor Music Festival will take place on Sunday, June 23 at McCormack’s Bar and Music Venue, Curra, Kylebrack.
This annual festival is held as tribute to local woman Niamh Monahan, who lost her battle with cancer in June 2010 at the age of 30. Since its debut, the successful festival has raised vital funds for charities including Galway Hospice Foundation and as of this year, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
The 2013 CurraFest will have live music all day from some of Ireland’s finest music acts along with live DJs, acoustic sessions and a Kidszone for the youngsters. Kicking off at 1.30pm will be Galway’s trad/rock super group Furry Village. They have reformed especially for this event and promise to deliver an amazing start to the day.
Also taking part are top original and cover acts Bluemoose, who perform an evolving repertoire of classic rock, dirty pop and anthemic show stoppers.
The Amazing Apples, who have had a brilliant year since the 2012 festival, make a welcome return. Highlights since they last played CurraFest include a rocking performance at the Electric Picnic, a fabulous show with The Saw Doctors at The Volvo Ocean Race, a debut original EP which went straight to number one on the download charts, headlining the St Patrick’s Day Festival in Bucharest, Romania, and opening for Mumford and Sons and Damien Dempsey.
Returning this year are Big Generator, who have been major supporters of CurraFest since the beginning. Big Generator found success early in their career with three Top 20 singles, two EPs, two albums, two record deals and multiple tours with bands such as Whitesnake, Ocean Colour Scene and Joe Satriani.
Performing on the main stage this year are four-piece rock band Who Knows. The members all hail from Galway, with Dave Gardiner and Senan Drury of the group being two of the organiser’s of the CurraFest.
Hot Fuss, one of Ireland’s premier pop/rock bands are also taking part. And also included on the bill are Leading Armies; a six-piece funk-rock, reggae tinged band from Limerick who are renowned for their high-octane live shows and six-part harmony vocals. More amazing acts include Lunar Playground, fronted by fantastic vocalist Jennifer Stratton and the Voice of Ireland’s John Gaughan.
There will be with acoustic sessions from the Hooch Hikers, 3Points, 28 Spaces and Whitewater Rafting. The day also incorporates Live DJ sets, featuring iRadio’s Fergal D’Arcy, DJ Robbie and DJ 4D.
The hosts of the festival, McCormack’s Bar & Music Venue, will also be bringing people a night of entertainment on Saturday, June 22 in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. This promises to be a superb evening of dancing as Sean Slattery & the Connections take to the stage in the Marquee, supported by John Gaughan. Sean Slattery & the Connections perform a large repertoire, from all-time party favourites to the classics spanning the last four decades and today’s popular music.
McCormack’s Bar will also be cooking delicious food and offering some of their finest bubbly, which is included in the ticket price for Saturday night. Tickets that event are available at McCormack’s Bar for €12 and are on sale now.
Tickets for CurraFest on June 23 cost just €15 with no admission fee for children under 12 years. Tickets are now on sale and for a limited time, people can avail of a special Early Bird offer. The tickets are available online at www.currafest.ie and through local outlets, which are listed on their website. Even if people can’t attend, buying a ticket is a great way to support both Galway Hospice and Our Lady’s Children Hospital, Crumlin.
Gates open at 12.30pm and for information on parking, bus timetables, special requirements, or even to volunteer, visit www.currafest.ie
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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