“Master Cooney restores the ancient link between lyre and lyric, between poetry and performance, the rhapsody and rascality.” – Seamus Heaney
Since moving to Ireland from Melbourne Australia, in 1981 Stephen Cooney has made a meteoric impact on traditional music in this country. Testament to this are the seminal groups and albums that Cooney has contributed to from Sharon Shannon’s first record to his current work with Luka Bloom. For the last 6 years Steve has contributed greatly to the Guitar Festival, hosting a series of workshops & performances. Last years performance saw Steve perform a never before seen show with two percussionists & his electric guitar which still hangs in the air as one of the special highlights of the fest to date with this years performance set to eclipse them all!
Workshop Steve returns to give his now-legendary seminars at the guitar festival. In response to incredible demand, we’ve allocated extra time for Steve to share his unparalleled knowledge of a wide range of music. Last year’s workshop was one of the festival’s secret gems as Steve illustrated his unique and accessible way of notating music and creating harmony for backing melodies
Bill Shanley has done as much as anyone to build Clonakilty’s reputation as a musical paradise and it is fitting that in our 20th year we showcase his immense talent. Bill will be joined by his stellar band featuring John Fitzgerald, Anthony Noonan, Duncan Lutz, Graham Murphy and special guest Michael McGovern, playing selections from his album Midnight Mission, as well as some surprises along the way.
Raised in the West Cork haven of Clonakilty in the renowned Shanley’s Music Bar (recently celebrating 120 years in business!) Bill was surrounded by pro musicians from a very young age. Bill’s father, Moss Shanley, a great piano player and entertainer immersed in the music of the 40’s and 50’s, encouraged Bill to sit in on gigs from an early age and was a great mentor to him in his formative years.
Noel Redding, of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, gave Bill his first guitar lessons and was a big part of Bill’s musical education, introducing him to early Rock and Roll and more. From his first guitar lessons with Noel at the age of nine they played hundreds of gigs together in Shanley’s Bar, joined on regular occasions by Mitch Mitchell, Tom Mc Guinness and Eric Bell.
Noel and Bill’s playing partnership culminated in a concert, together with Randy California, in the famous Olympic Theatre in Paris in 1990 to mark the 20th anniversary of Hendrix’s death, the same venue that the JME did their first ever gig in 1966.
In 1990, straight out of school, Bill moved to Dublin and established himself as a highly sought after guitarist both in the studio and live. Accompanying Eleanor McEvoy during the heady days of recording “A Woman’s Heart”, on the strength of which Eleanor and her band signed to Geffen Records in 1993, and becoming a key member of Mary Black’s band in 1995, remaining so today as musical director, and recording the Full Tide, Stories from the Steeples, Speaking with the Angels, Shine and more recently Mary Black sings Jimmy Mac albums.
Midnight Mission is Shanley’s most recent album and comprises original recordings inspired by the excitement and melodies of early electric guitar music, drawing on Bill’s world class guitar playing and ability to write great, timeless melodies. It features special guests Ray Davies and Paul Brady.
Session & Touring Guitarist, Producer…
Dublin based, Bill is one of Ireland’s top session and touring guitar players and producers. Bill has established himself internationally too, through touring and contributing to albums with Ray Davies, Paul Brady, Mary Black, Roy Harper, Gilbert O Sullivan, Alexandra Burke, Sinead O’Connor, Judy Collins to name a few.
Being an accompanist has always been of key interest to Bill, enjoying the great scope and limitless backdrop you can create as a player for the artist you’re working with. This skill was commented on in the Financial Times review of a Ray Davies show a the Royal Albert Hall –“Is there a finer sideman around? It’s unlikely…”
“ … glorious technicolour hues that transcend linguistic boundaries; world music for a new world.”Siobhán Long, Irish Times.
One of the most accomplished songwriters in the country today, award winning trad/folk poet John Spillane continues to redefine musical boundaries with his own unique style of playing and songwriting which he likes to call ’Sean Nos Blues’. In the last 15 years John has released 9 award winning albums, penned top ten hit singles, had his music covered by the likes of Christy Moore and also recorded a groundbreaking TV series ‘Ceolcuairt’ for TG4 which saw John visiting Senegal and playing with native Senegalese musicians such as Baba Maal & CHEIKH LO.
While as a songwriter John’s talent is often acknowledged his guitar playing too is of distinct merit and fuses trad and folk finger picking with elements of world music and the Blues. He is endorsed by Rodriguez Guitars one of only two endorsements they have issued in Ireland.
JOHN SPILLANE SONGWRITING WORKSHOP:
John brings his Meteor Award-winning skills and many years experience of teaching the craft of songwriting to bear on these perennially popular workshops. Starting by forging a space where all negativity and criticism is banished outright, John teaches techniques of imagery, rhyme and rhythm to help unlock the gems of musical poetry that we all have hidden inside us! Book ahead as these workshops usually fill up fast.