Eclectic line-up of acts unveiled for ‘The Cave’ in Mitchelstown
LINE-UP OF TOP IRISH AND INTERNATIONAL ACTS SET TO PLAY IRELAND’S MOST UNUSUAL VENUE
THE ‘underground’ music scene will make a welcome return to Mitchelstown next month with an eclectic mix of artists set to play subterranean gigs in what is possibly Ireland’s most unusual concert venue.
Six acts will feature in ‘ The Cave’, a three night series of concerts taking place in the intimate surroundings of the enchanting Mitchelstown Caves from Friday, July 7.
Now in its seventh-year ‘ The Cave’, which once again being held being held as part of the Clonmel Junction Festival, has previously hosted gigs by a host of top Irish and international acts including Declan O’Rourke, Lisa Hannigan, Sam Amidon, Mick Flannery, Lisa O’Neill, Ye Vagabonds, David Kitt and August Wells.
This year’s line up is set to maintain the high standard set over previous years Sierra Leonean/Irish singer and multi-instrumentalist Loah and American musician, composer and producer Peter Broderick playing the venue on the first night.
The following night American singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop will bring her eclectic mix of folk/rock/ electronic music to the venue, with Donegal based singer/songwriter Rosie Carney, who has received more than two-million plays on Spotify, joining her on the bill.
The Cave 2017 will draw to a close on Sunday with and evening in the company of Irish singer/ songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brigid Mae Power and acclaimed Waterford singer Marc O’Reilly, whose folk/blues sound has been compared to John Martyn and Bon Iver.
Tickets for the fully-seated gigs, priced at €30 per night, are available from www.junctionfestival.ticketsolve.com.
Each of the concerts will begin at 8pm, with ticket-holders requested to be at the entrance to the Caves by 7pm.
Organisers have advised that people bring a coat and wear flat shoes as there will be a half-mile walk to the performance area.
While each of the artists playing are both mesmerising in style and charismatic in their delivery, perhaps the real star of the weekend will be the Mitchelstown Cave itself.
More than 200 feet underground and only accessible by 88 steep steps, the temperature in The Cave remains at a constant temperature of 12° offering audiences a truly unique and unforgettable experience.
Formed over millions of years the Mitchelstown Caves remained undiscovered until 1833 when local labourer Michael Conlon dropped his crowbar in to a crevice in the ground.
To his amazement he discovered the innocuous looking crevice opened up into a vast series of underground chambers, caverns and passages stretching for more than three kilometres.
The discovery was hailed as one of the most important finds in Irish geological history, attracting large numbers of eager sightseers.
For more than a century guides cave candlelit tours of the Caves prior to the installation of electricity and footpaths in 1972, making them the first caves in Ireland to be developed for the public.