Rising Millstreet star Darren Kiely to headline his first festival
EX-COMHALTAS WINNER NOW HAS OVER THREE MILLION STREAMS
The rise and rise of Millstreet music star Darren Kiely is set to hit new heights this summer when he headlines his first festival.
Darren tops the bill of The Folly Festival 2024, which returns on July 5th and 6th to the beautifully intimate venue of Nancy’s Yard, beneath the towering ruins of the historic Cullohill Castle, Cullohill, Co Laois. Following on from the huge success of the sellout festival last year, the line-up for 2024 has just been announced and early bird tickets for the two-day event are currently on sale.
Headlining the festival on Friday night is Darren Kiely, the singer-songwriter who has accumulated three million global streams and has sold-out headline shows at Rockwood Music Hall and Mercury Lounge in NYC, as well as the community hall in Millstreet, where he played last Christmas.
The former Millstreet sportsman moved to New York City in 2022 to pursue his music career closer to his producer. He also released his debut single, ‘How Could You Love Me’, that made it into the Viral 50 - Ireland charts.
“There was a big tradition of music in my family, music was something that was always being played whether we were in the car or at home,” Darren told The Corkman in an interview last year. “Traditional Irish music had a big role to play, from an early age my sister Orla and I started playing instruments and getting involved in the local feis, fleadh cheoil and Scór competitions. Orla led the way, really, and I just tried my hand at anything she was doing.”
Moving onto writing music was something special for Darren, especially given the reaction and his rising following.
“It’s been an incredible way for me to explore my thoughts and discover things in myself that at a conscious level I don’t think I can access. It’s strange, I thought writing would be very cerebral and involve using my brain a lot but it actually comes from a completely deeper level,” said Darren.
“I’m a big classic rock and folk lover, growing up listening to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen I was in awe of their careers. More recently it’s been The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons, all of those artists create an incredible live experience. I’ve spent countless hours watching their shows and performances on YouTube and there is something magical about what they do.”
Before taking off to the USA, Darren enjoyed many achievements in traditional music and dancing at county, provincial and national level.
“Most of my accomplishments were in Irish traditional music. I was 15 when our local Comhaltas in Millstreet won an All-Ireland.
“In music, I won an All-Ireland U-18 groupa cheol and U-18 ceilí band with Freemount Comhaltas in 2014/15.”
Meanwhile, back in Cullohill this July, The Scratch - currently one the most talked about bands in the country signed to Sony Music and garnering a huge fan base as they tour the US and Canada - will headline Saturday at the festival.
Róisín O, a firm favourite on the festival circuit, has most recently toured Ireland, the UK and Australia in the wake of her chart-topping album ‘Courageous’, and Dea Matrona, an all-female trio from Belfast who have amassed over 5.7 million views on You Tube and secured a No. 1 on both the UK and Ireland iTunes chart, will also join the lineup of Oscar Blue, Jessica Doolan, Saibh Skelly, Paddy Keys, Dooley Brothers, Cullohill Comhaltas, Garda Band and many more over the festival weekend.
Comedy is also central to the entertainment in Cullohill and performances are punctuated by numerous daytime events for all ages, which starts off with the scenic Cullohill Mountain Walk and continues throughout the day, with everything from artisan food and crafts, family activities, children’s entertainment at Nancy’s Yard and much more.
Festival tickets are not required to take part in the daytime events and everyone is welcome to attend!
The Folly Festival is Ireland’s first-ever gender-balanced music festival, which in 2018 first addressed the discrepancy within the entertainment industry, where male artists outnumbered female artists 5:1 – a ratio which is mirrored throughout the industry’s engineering and production roles. In selecting performers, Folly Festival actively promotes gender-balance, selecting the line-up accordingly, with an equal number of male and female acts.
All proceeds from the festival are used by organisers Cullohill Community Council for village renewal projects.
Ticket info - early bird weekend tickets from https://thefolly.ie/tickets/. For a limited time, these tickets are available with 20% off at €64.20.