Entertainment
The Coronas in welcome return to Arts Festival
A group who sold out the Big Top at the Galway Arts Festival two years ago, The Coronas, are on their way back to the city for a gig at the Fisheries Field on Saturday, July 19, next.
Galway Arts Festival and the Roisin Dubh announced this week that The Coronas will be joined by up-and-coming young Irish band Walking on Cars at the Festival Big Top this summer.
With a new album in production and sold-out live shows in Ireland and the UK in 2013, the rise of The Coronas has been quite staggering.
Winners of a prestigious Meteor Best Album Award in 2010, despite competition from the likes of U2 and Snow Patrol, The Coronas have become the biggest-selling independent group in Ireland.
Their three albums to date, including their most recent release, the hugely popular, Closer to You, have earned them a loyal following.
The Coronas performed one of the most memorable concerts at the Festival Big Top 2012, and make a welcome return to the Galway stage for this year’s Arts Festival, which had already confirmed a headlining show by The National some months ago.
Walking On Cars have not been long on the road, but they gained a huge fan base and extensive radio play initially through their infectiously melodic debut single Catch Me If You Can which stayed in the Irish Charts for over 20 weeks, gaining the number No.1 spot on the iTunes chart.
The band’s second single Two Stones enjoyed similar popularity and despite being relatively new on the scene they have notched up an impressive array of live shows from The Academy to Other Voices and a plethora of festival gigs in 2013.
With their debut EP As We Fly South produced by Tom McFall (REM, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Editors) Walking on Cars, creating a beautiful sound, are one of the most unique and original bands to emerge on the Irish music scene for some time.
• Tickets are priced at €35 and are now on sale from galwayartsfestival.com, roisindubh.net, ticketmaster.ie and from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide. Tickets can also be bought in person at the Róisín Dubh, Dominick Street, Galway and OMG, Shop Street, Galway. Phone bookings can be made with Ticketmaster on 0818 719300 and 00353 1456 9569 for international customers and OMG on 091 509660.
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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