Four Upcoming Festivals that Prove Festival Season is Still in Full Swing
By Music Editor Méabh Ní Chonaill
Electric Picnic may have been and gone and the academic year begun, but for some music lovers their most anticipated outings of the year are right around the corner. If large scale festivals are not your cup of tea then these may be more to your liking. From jazz to heavy metal, traditional music to sean-nós singing, the upcoming weeks are sure to provide some stellar music to cater to everyone’s tastes.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, taking place across the city from the 26 to 30 of October in venues such as The Everyman, St Luke’s Cathedral, Triskel Arts Centre, and many more. The festival features a diverse lineup of musicians and bands from Ireland and beyond and while jazz is the centre of attention, you can expect to hear various jazz subgenres as well as blues, funk, and soul. With performers ranging from established artists to emerging talent and local acts, you can be sure that the festival will surpass its 100,000 person attendance record of last year.
Among the many noteworthy performers taking to the stage is Grammy Award-winner Corrine Bailey Rae, who is set to showcase her album Black Rainbows on 29 October in Cork Opera House. Having risen to stardom in 2006 with her hit song “Put Your Records On”, tickets will be highly sought after.
If you are looking for some jazz heavy-hitters, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Grammy Award-winner Kurt Elling, and Judi Jackson can all be found at venues throughout the city. Or take to the harbour as part of the Jazz Boat Journey with Jerron Paxton, with tours of Cork harbour featuring the blind multi-instrumentalist from Friday to Sunday.
Apart from all that jazz, acts such as Jenny Greene, The Academic, ØXN, Wheetus, and the Charlatans will be playing in various venues over the weekend. Bars and hotels around the city will be filled with the sound of jazz with favourites such as the Roundy, Costigans, Clancy’s, The Pavillion, The Maldron and many more each hosting their own lineups. As the festival has added an extra date this year, make sure to check out some of the jazz gigs happening on the Thursday night.
If you need a fix of jazz for the weekend that’s in it then you need go no further than the UCC campus as the FUAIM Concert series will feature the Len McCarthy Trio on October 27 in the Aula Maxima from 1.10pm. Leading the trio on saxophone, Len will be joined by pianist Jim Doherty and David Whitla on bass. With free entry, this is one of the many amazing concerts in the FUAIM series and brings jazz right to your door in UCC.
It would be impossible to list all the incredible acts that will take to the stages and streets of Cork but for those who are seeking music throughout the weekend in an informal setting, the festival has catered for them also. Also on Friday Oliver Plunkett Street will play host to a “street stroll” featuring various marching bands from 6pm onwards.
Switching from the language of jazz to the traditional tunes of Sliabh Luachra, the Patrick O’Keeffe Festival takes place in Castleisland, County Kerry, from Thursday 26 to Monday 30 October. Founded in 1993, the festival is held each year in remembrance of fiddle player Patrick O’Keeffe (1997-1963) and celebrates his legacy and the musical tradition of Sliabh Luachra. This year features a bigger lineup than ever of concerts, album launches, lectures and an expansive session trail.
The festival begins on the Thursday with the launch of this session trail, taking place in various pubs, hotels and cafes around the town and continuing throughout the weekend. The trail provides an opportunity for musicians of all levels and interests to play together during the weekend.
The first of the festival’s concerts features an incredible line-up with Jackie Daly and Kevin Burke, Frankie Gavin and Catherine McHugh, Tara Breen, Orlaith McAuliffe, Paddy Glackin and many more, kicking off at 8pm in the River Island Hotel with tickets costing €15.
The concerts continue on Saturday in the River Island Hotel where a special Sliabh Luachra Concert will showcase the style of music native to the area. With performances by some of the leading lights of Sliabh Luachra music, the concert begins at 8pm and will continue late into the night. As if those were not enough, Altan play in the River Island on Sunday night, followed by the lively Pólca 4 in the festival club at 10.30pm.
The festival does not stop there, with singing concerts, workshops, album launches, céilís, and a Pop-up Gaeltacht all happening over the course of the weekend. As the early bird catches the worm, weekend tickets are now available at a reduced price of €55 for a limited time only.
For the Gaeilgeóirí among you, or those looking to improve their Irish, the Electric Picnic of the Irish-speaking community, Oireachtas na Samhna, is fast approaching. Running from 1 November to 5 November in the Gleneagle and Brehon Hotels in Killarney, the Oireachtas is a chance to witness the cream of the crop in sean-nós singing, dancing, music and other art forms all while having a whale of a time. The first Oireachtas festival was organised by Conradh na Gaeilge to promote the use of the Irish language and to preserve its traditional art forms and over a century later it is doing just that.
The list of competitions at Oireachtas na Samhna is unlike any other. Participants can take part in individual instrumental competitions, duets, sean nós singing and dancing, lúibíní, agallamh beirte, amhrán saothair, newly-composed songs and more.
An agallamh beirte is an onstage argument between two people, usually rhyming, containing humour, and skilfully written. Often based around current events, it is not uncommon to see actors impersonating politicians and celebrities except that they are now, of course, Gaeilgeóirí. Beyonce has been known to make an appearance, as have Charles and Camilla, who took the top spot in the agallamh beirte competition for adults last year.
A lúibín is similar to an agallamh beirte, set to music, for example the melody of “The Bold Thady Quill”. An amhrán saothair is a work song in which two performers complete a task while singing about that activity. The Oireachtas presents a great opportunity to see some of these traditional art forms performed on stage by competitors of all ages and they can be topical and highly entertaining.
The highlight of the weekend for many is the Corn Uí Riada competition, which has huge prestige among the sean-nós singing community and as well as those attending, hundreds more tune in on Raidió na Gaeltachta to hear the performances.
While the competitions are a huge part of the weekend, there is much more to be hear, see, and do. For those seeking late-night entertainment the Club Céilí will take place in the Gleneagle ballroom from 10.30pm, followed by Club na Féile at 11pm on both Friday and Saturday nights. Club na Féile is for the majority of college level attendees, their activity of choice over the weekend. Pólca 4 get the crowd going with their infectious combination of traditional music, bongos and raucous fun and everyone dancer or not, is liable to pull out a few steps.
Tickets for the various events can be found at antoireachtas.ie with a weekend pass costing €100. Those in UCC interested in attending can contact An Chuallacht Ghaelach here in UCC, who have a special deal available for students at a price of €15 for a weekend ticket.
While some students may be dancing the Siege of Ennis at the Oireachtas, others may prefer the Siege of Limerick, a biannual metal event held at Dolan’s of Limerick on 29 October. The one-day event promises to fulfil all your metal needs with over 27 metal bands included in the lineup across three stages. Bands such as Limerick-based band Ropers, Drakonis, Gama Bomb, The Crawling and many more will take to the stage over the course of the day. Doors open at 1pm and the music is set to continue non-stop until past midnight. Entry is free of charge, making the gig a must-see for metal lovers looking to discover some new bands and revisit old favourites.
