Leonard Podolak has been touring full force for the last 17 years mostly with the bands Scruj Mac Duhk, and then the Juno/Grammy Award winning, Duhks.
He is a critically acclaimed 5-String Claw-hammer banjo player, and is known for putting together wonderful combinations of musicians, often creating a full, but new sound in what ever project he touches.
In the last couple years, since The Duhks have spent less time on the road, Leonard has had a great opportunity to expand his musical endeavor. Now he splits his time playing with The Duhks, Dry Bones, with Nathan Rogers, and Jd Edwards, and this duo with his pal Matt Gordon.
Recently Leonard was invited to take part in The Cecil Sharp Project, which was a collaborative project sponsored by the Shrewsbury Folk Festival. That project gained much acclaim in the UK and international folk press, and provided Leonard with a fabulous introduction to the UK folk circuit.
Matt Gordon has been living in the woodwork of the music business. He’s a great Fiddler, Clogger, Hamboner, and Harmonica player. He toured in the 80s and 90s with the Fiddle Puppet Dancers, taking part in the London debut of Riverdance, and participating in festivals around North America and Europe, with that group.
His CD with Leonard Podolak and their pal Bill Shanley called ‘Three Thin Dimes’ is the first full recorded effort on his part, and although he knows many people in the tribe, and has laid a track or two, on other Cds he has not toured much in the last few years, focusing on his career as a woodworker, and cabinet maker.
Together, Matt, and Leonard put on an exciting evening of Old-Time traditional fiddle and Banjo Music. They also clog, and do Hambone.
A very special show for smallies & their parents – NB Children must be supervised at all times-
Clonakilty International Guitar Festival is proud to present a special concert for very young children featuring Fiona Kelleher
Early Bird Music is a project with a passion for music and creativity, founded by Fiona Kelleher, singer, composer and mother of three . Creating music for little ones and nurturing the creative talent in everyone is our mission. We are delighted to give you a glimpse into the world of I am a little Boat . . This is the album with beautifully illustrated songbook, loved and cherished by children and parents everywhere . It features happily in classrooms and Early Years settings worldwide.
Fiona Kelleher is a singer, composer and performer who works on many collaborative projects with other musicians, theatre artists and visual artists. Her album “My Love Lies” has received much critical acclaim internationally. She continues to write and record and collaborate while also working as an early years artist on many projects.
Corty Byron brings the swampy vintage rock n roll Americana to this years event.
Having performed all over the US in pubs (Tellus 360, The Viper Room & House of Blues), Prisons (Lancaster County Prison) & for politicians (Senator Bernie Sanders at Millersville University) he’ll have no problems fitting in at Guitartown……
How do you summarize Corty Byron? …”You can’t fake authenticity.”
Choice Award winning musician Adrian Crowley joins the Vespertine Quintet for a collaborative performance at this years Clonakilty International Guitar Festvival.
Some Blue Morning’ – 4 stars The Irish Times
Aidan Crowley captures life as insightfully as any contemporary Irish songwriter does. The Galway native has steered a trusty course throughout his career, each album a musical progression yet anchored by that commanding, sonorous voice and reflective, evocative lyric-poems that bind love, life and nature together. Strings play a more prominent role than ever before on his seventh album, elevating the opening title track to an uplifting finale, dancing lithely through The Hungry Grass, galloping through The Angel and punctuating the soft waltz of The Stranger. Spoken word track The Wild Boar is a highlight, but the whole record is a blissful, rich, cinematic soundtrack to autumn and winter that is bracing and snug in all the right places.
Named after a poem about a haunted canal lock, The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock combine elements of the Irish folk tradition with modern experimental rock sounds. They have released two albums to date, 2008’s eponymous debut and 2012’s “The Brutal Here and Now” on Transduction Records.
Spook Guitar Orchestra:
“Lockout” and “Bullet in the Brick” are two new large-scale works by The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock about the 1913 Lockout and the 1916 rising respectively. For these projects the band are joined by an electric guitar orchestra, bringing this unique sound into the world of contemporary Irish traditional music. “Lockout” is a grand departure for the band, bringing an epic volume and scale to their unique blend of contemporary and traditional sounds, and adding a sharper, more political voice which addresses the recent anniversary of the Lockout, and its relevance today.
This september the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival acknowledge the Centenary of 1916 with a performance of a piece written by the critically acclaimed genre defying Trad/prog metal band Spook of the Thirteenth Lock for 16 guitars.
The Spook Guitar Orchestra will perform ‘The Bullet in the Brick’, material based on the story of the 1916 rising comprising 3 parts
1/ A Destroyer on the Liffey – The story of the rising told with a focus on the Helga, the gun boat that bombed Dublin city centre.
2/ The Bullet in the Brick – describing Francis Sheehy Skeffington’s murder by British troops
3/ A Proclamation – elements of the proclamation set to music
In addition to this the Spook Orchestra will perform ‘Lockout’ a 50 minute piece on the 1913 lockout which gives context to the 1916 rising – The rise of socialism in Dublin led by Connolly and Larkin, arising from life in the worst slums of Europe at the time leading to the formation of the Irish Citizen Army, key fighters in the rising and the source of the radical aspirational nature of the proclamation, the parts that ring truest today.
Original White lightning members Jeff Ward & Noel Gilbert Jones return to West Cork with old pal Steve ‘ Smiley’ Barnard (Joe Strummer/Robbie Williams) on drums to hang another Festival scalp around their battle worn rock n roll necks.
Since 1979 Jeff Ward has either played with, recorded or produced: White Lightning, Iron Pig, Mourneblade, Noel Redding, Paul King, & Colin Earl (Mungo Jerry), Vijay Jagtap, Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy), John Coughlan (Status Quo), David Jackson (Van Der Graf Generator), Roy Harper, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Corky Laing (Mountain), Eric Schenkeman (The Spin Doctors).
“Jeff Ward is better than good, He’s Tasty!” – Noel Redding (the Jimi Hendrix Experience).
George Lowden is one of the world’s most celebrated luthiers, and his guitars are played by the finest players on the planet. The list of Lowden devotees includes Eric Clapton, Pierre Bensusan, Paul Brady, Ed Sheeran, Damien Rice, Alex DeGrassi, Richard Thompson, Mike Oldfield, Nick Harper, Jon Gomm, Bill Shanley and Thomas Leeb. George is an old friend of the festival, having given numerous seminars and workshops over the previous 14 years. As we celebrate our fifteenth year, George is celebrating his forty fifth in the business!
Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. This year, it will take place on Friday 16th September 2016. On Culture Night, arts and cultural organisations and venues of all shapes and sizes, including the National Cultural Institutions, extend their opening hours to allow for increased access to the public. Special and unique events and workshops are specifically programmed at participating locations and everything is available free of charge.
Culture Night has grown from a relatively small scale cultural event staged only in Dublin in 2006 to the significant national cultural event it now is, with some 350,000 people visiting museums, galleries, historic houses, artists’ studios and cultural centres across the country. The initiative has captured both the public imagination and the enthusiasm of artists and cultural organisations.
Culture Night
-Encourages more people to visit cultural venues and experience culture in their locality
-Reminds us all about the fantastic cultural facilities and resources that we have locally and nationally
-Raises the profile of cultural organisations, activities and facilities
-Encourages people to try new things and to get into the habit of going more often to cultural venues and activities in their locality
-Makes it easier for people to play a role in their local cultural scene
-Helps create a sense of community and belonging
Who makes Culture Night happen?
Culture Night happens because many people share a vision and enthusiasm for enjoying, celebrating and promoting creativity and culture. The following list gives a taste of the wide range of people and institutions that make it happen across Ireland:
the public, artists, performing groups, galleries, museums, sports clubs, libraries, arts centres, craft workers, studios and workshops, theatres, public spaces, broadcasters, schools, community groups, local authorities, Government Departments, state agencies and public bodies, transport companies, universities, shops and many more!