Entertaining Sligo
CHERISH THE LADIES
“Cherish the Ladies” will return to the Coleman Centre, Gurteen on Saturday January 6 th 2018 at 8.30pm and this concert is now sold out. But, due to popular demand a second show has been added on Sunday January 7 th at 8.00pm. Last year was an outstanding sell out show, by these exceptionally talented musicians and we are looking forward to welcoming them back this year.
JOANIE MADDEN born in New York of Irish parents and raised in a musical household, her mother hails from Miltown Malbay, County Clare and her father Joe, an All-Ireland Champion accordion player was a native of Portumna, County Galway. She began taking lessons from legendary flutist and National Heritage Award winner Jack Coen, and within a few short years, she had achieved great success winning the world championship in Irish music on both the concert flute and tin whistle. During that time, Joanie also became the first American to win the coveted Senior All-Ireland Championship on the whistle.
MARY COOGAN was born in New York and raised in a musical household. She is a founding member of Cherish the Ladies. Her mother came from Castlerea in County Roscommon and her father Jim was a great accordion player whose parents emigrated from County Waterford. Her father passed down his love of Irish music to Mary and she became a self-taught guitar, mandolin and bouzouki player.
MIRELLA MURRAY grew up in Claddaghduff on the North West coast of Connemara in County Galway. Her father John Joe, a notable sean nós dancer, came from Inishark Island and had a deep understanding and love for traditional music. Mirella studied the piano accordion with Mary Finn and it was at music classes that she met up with fiddler Liz Kane from Letterfrack. Mirella won the accordion All-Ireland championship and duet All-Ireland championship with Liz Kane.
KATHLEEN BOYLE from Glasgow, Scotland comes from a family steeped in the traditional music of Donegal. Her father Hughie is a talented musician and handed down his love of music to her. Kathleen is a talented pianist and accordion player and has won All-Scotland and All-Britain titles on both instruments.
NOLLAIG CASEY is one of Ireland’s most gifted musicians, with her own unique way of playing traditional Irish music on the fiddle and has such a distinctive sound that it would be impossible to mistake it for that of anyone else.
They are in constant demand worldwide as their reputation and admiration from both fans and critics alike continues to grow. Their name may come from a traditional Irish jig but after thirty years, they have proven that the jig is still not up as these ladies blaze forward into another decade of music making.
This will be a sell-out concert, early booking advisable. Booking and enquiries on 071 9182599 or www.colemanirishmusic.com.
DECLAN O’ROURKE
Declan O’Rourke brings his new show, The Chronicles of The Great Irish Famine to the Hawk’s Well Theatre on Friday 22nd December, as part of a nationwide tour.
Fifteen years in the making, this epic song cycle combines the best of traditional Irish music and the heart of modern song-writing to present a series of extraordinary true tales from the most dynamic period in Irelands history. Inspired by John O’Connor’s book “The Workhouses of Ireland” O’Rourke wrote ‘Poor Boys Shoes’ the first song of the collection, and recalls, “The hair stood up on my neck when I read the lines: ‘ The man who carried his wife from the workhouse to their old home, mile after weary mile, and was discovered next morning dead, his wife’s feet held to his breast as if he was trying to warm them...’ I had stumbled into a chapter of history I knew almost nothing about. I wanted to be a witness, to share these stories the best way I knew how, through music.” Known as the Great Irish Famine, An Gorta Mór was by far the most impactful era in the recorded history of Ireland. The effect on the population was so devastating that seven generations and 170 years later, Ireland’s population is still far from where it was in the 1840s. The Famine marked the beginning of a boom in Irish immigration resulting in over 80 million across the world claiming Irish heritage today.
NIAMH PARSONS, CIARAN TOURISH, LIAM KELLY AND JOHN DOYLE
Music Network’s Spring 2017 season begins in epic form with a gathering of titans from trad super-groups Arcady, Altan, Dervish and Solas – vocalist Niamh Parsons, fiddler Ciarán Tourish, flautist Liam Kelly and guitar virtuoso John Doyle will perform at the Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo on Wednesday 10 th January at 8pm.
Time to come in from the cold and gather round as four leading lights of Irish trad join forces in what promises to be an unforgettable tour. At the forefront of the Irish music scene for over 25 years, they’ve performed in every corner of the globe. Leading the charge is Arcady’s Niamh Parsons, a peerless balladeer with one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music.
Donegal fiddle maestro and long-time member of Altan, Ciarán Tourish is fêted for his incendiary improvisation and cascading arpeggios, providing the perfect foil for the invention and rhythmic drive of flautist Liam Kelly. A founder member of Dervish, Kelly is equally at home trading riffs with James Brown, The Buena Vista Social Club or Sting. Add to the mix John Doyle’s signature guitar sound, heard on recordings by Solas, Joan Baez, Usher’s Island, Linda Thompson and Tim O’Brien among others, and you’ ll find no finer musical company to carry you through January with a light heart and a skip in your step.
Music Network tours are funded by the Arts Council and are presented in association with RTÉ lyric fm. Tickets for this concert cost from €9 and are available from the Hawk’s Well Theatre by calling 071-9161518 or online at hawkswell.com.