27-year old blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Aaron O’Sullivan has sailed down numerous musical rivers since playing in Debarras Folk Club every friday night from just fifteen years old. Since returning from shows in the U.S back in 2018, Aaron has been extremely busy, from sharing the stage with Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy), supporting James Arthur (X Factor Winner) Cory Wong & Ariel Posen (Vulfpeck/Bros Landreth) to producing bands and artists in The Lab Studios, Cork city, studying an MA in Jazz in MTU with saxophonist Karl Rooney (The Commitments, The Four Tops), touring with Kellie Lewis (Runner Up, The Voice 2014) & playing guitar with artists such as Blaskets/Happy Alone, Stephanie Rainey & Jennifer Lyons. Aaron’s stage presence, swift guitar playing, sharp vocals & sophisticated writing style are all presented in his live performances. Formerly under the pseudonym Jordan Run, Aaron has decided to take his music solo, accompanied by an incredible rhythm section. This show is not one to be missed.
An idiosyncratic, challenging and richly lyrical singer/ songwriter, Junior Brother is the pseudonym of Co. Kerry, Ireland singer Ronan Kealy. Chosen as The Irish Times’ Best Irish Act of 2019 and nominated for the 2019 Choice Music Prize for Album of the Year, Junior Brother has built a rabid following thanks to unmissable live shows, and music both excitingly forward-looking and anciently evocative. His strange stories unfold with reckless abandon upon a distinctive guitar and foot tambourine accompaniment, influenced as much by the avant-garde as music from the Middle Ages and his home place in rural Ireland.
In addition to earning a Choice Music Prize nomination, Junior Brother’s trailblazing debut album “Pull The Right Rope”, also saw Kealy garner two nominations at the 2019 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, for Best Folk Album and Best Emerging Folk Act. Similarly, vigorous approval from modern-day Irish figureheads such as the Rubberbandits and Cillian Murphy has furthered Junior Brother’s stock, the latter playing Junior Brother several times on his BBC Radio 6 Music Show. Along-side further airplay, his television performances include appearances on RTÉ’s the Tommy Tiernan show, Other Voices and the Choice Music Prize Awards night in Vicar Street.
PRAISE FOR THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE
“Wry songs of anxiety and frustration”
The Guardian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
[An] unfiltered acoustic mix of neuroses, loss of innocence and religious oppression…Truly unforgettable”
Mojo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Junior Brother’s The Great Irish Famine captures the range of feelings we face when learning our place in an increasingly shaky world built on a foundation of tragedy.”
PopMatters
“More ambitious than his debut, an ambition met”
The Thin Air ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The songs of ‘The Great Irish Famine’ are from a shaken world, songs that can be both cathartic and comic, personal and universal”
Songlines ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Magnificent…A strange but wonderful trip”
Hot Press ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Formed somewhat accidentally in Monk’s Lane, Timoleague in 2014 from the embers of some of West Cork’s much loved bands, this Clonakilty foursome have put down a busy few years, gaining momentum and with it an ever-growing cult-like following. While members have come and gone over the years, the current lineup of Ciarán Calnan, Timmie O’Brien, Ronan Archbold and Jack Archbold have been ever-present since 2021, performing countless shows both at home and abroad. With almost 100 years of gigging experience between them, they know how to put on an unforgettable show which guarantees to leave you craving more. Above all, it’s about having the craic and making sure the crowd do too, which is something The Monks deliver in abundance. Expect a rocking mix of songs from the likes of Thin Lizzy, Foo Fighters, The Killers, Fontaines DC, QOTSA, Radiohead, Paolo Nutini, Milky Chance, The Waterboys, The Beatles, The Cranberries and some original twists on many more traditional Irish and contemporary rock, pop and folk tunes. If their CIGF 2023 performance is anything to go by, this is one not to be missed, so strap in and enjoy the ride!
Multi-instrumentalist Rawney (Ciarán Calnan) is an independent artist hailing
from Clonakilty in West Cork. His blend of rock, indie, folk and pop has drawn
comparisons to The Frames, Mic Christopher, Incubus, Foo Fighters and
Stereophonics, among others.
Renowned for his powerful vocals and energetic live performances, he has
honed his craft over the past decade by performing hundreds of gigs in Ireland,
UK, Australia, Canada, USA, Vietnam and Spain.
Music is in the blood. Son of the late Billy, drummer of popular showband The
Calnan Brothers, it’s no surprise that Rawney has continued that legacy.
Having played in various bands from the age of 12, most notably Setmaker, he
has been focusing on solo endeavours of late and his debut EP, Say It Loud, was
released in July ‘22.
The past two years has seen Rawney release his debut EP ‘Say It Loud’ and tour
the country, performing in top venues including DeBarra’s Clonakilty, Little
Whelan’s Dublin, Coughlan’s and Winthrop Avenue in Cork, Connolly’s of Leap,
Levis’ Ballydehob, Monroe’s Galway, Spirit Store Dundalk and The Green Room
in Dingle. There have also been support slots with the likes of Mick Flannery,
Susan O’Neill and Pauline Scanlon amongst others.
His songs have been been played on radio stations nationwide, including 2FM,
Ireland’s Classic Hits, Cork’s RedFM, Cork’s 96 FM, KCLR FM, WLR FM, LCR FM,
along with other local community and online stations.
His debut single Say It Loud won The Cork Playlist Song of the Month for June
‘22.
In February ‘23, as part of Hotpress Irish Music Month, Rawney was announced
as a finalist with Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio in the ‘A New Local Hero’
competition, which gained national coverage.
Rawney is currently in the process of recording, with new releases and gigs
planned for the coming months, including a slot at Clonakilty International
Guitar Festival which runs from 19-23 September.
Check out @rawneymusic on the usual social media platforms to stay up to
date.
Maija Sofia is a musician and writer from the rural west of Ireland. Her first album ‘Bath Time’ was nominated for the Choice Prize. Her new album ‘True Love’, released in September 2023 is a suite of experimental songs exploring states of devotion, mysticism and excess. It was praised in The Quietus as being “about real people, alive and dead, and the power of objects, substances, time and place. It is the work of someone with an enviable talent, and it deserves a lot of love.” She has toured extensively, opening for Sharon Van Etten, Julian Baker, and Mega Bog amongst others and has been commissioned to write new music for the National Concert Hall, Cork Midsummer Festival, Solas Nua in Washington DC, Sirius Arts Centre, The DOCK and Dublin Digital Radio. She is a recipient of the Next Generation award and her poetry has been published in The Stinging Fly and Banshee.
Gamelan is the rich and ancient musical traditional of Indonesia using bronze gongs, xylophones, metallophones and other tuned percussion to create a shimmering texture and powerful resonance. It is a mesmerising sonic experience and west Cork is lucky to house the only Irish gamelan outside of a university city. These unique (no two sets are alike) hand-forged instruments are equally impressive visually, as they are intricately carved and brightly coloured. The listener will hear repertoire from the court tradition of the city of Surakarta, central Java, mixed with arrangements of Irish music, and new compositions.
For this concert at CIGF, musical director Kevin McNally will feature on a specially-designed fretless guitar in order to better match the unique tuning of the gamelan
Gamelan Spréacha Geala (Bright Sparks Gamelan) are a non-professional, community music group based in Skibbereen, new members are always welcome. It is part of the Wellbeing Network and supported by Cork ETB, Music Alive, Skibbereen Family Resource Centre and Cork Mental Health Services.
Having spent the last 20 years living and performing in San Francisco and New Orleans, Jenny Mac returned to her native Clonakilty in 2023 and is a prominent part of the local music scene.
An impressive, versatile and extremely talented vocalist, Jenny honed her craft under the watchful eyes of Mossie Shanley, Noel Redding & Carole Appleby performing regularly in Shanleys and De Barras for 15 years before moving stateside. Jenny has guested with artists such as Hot House Flowers, Christy Dignam, Don Baker and Donovan and her repertoire is a nostalgic collection of jazz n’ blues, country rock and 60s and 70s classics. Jenny and her band perform in Shanleys bar at 11pm on Friday, 22nd of September: Be prepared for a proper “Mac attack!”
CIGF is joining forces with Fairtrade Clonakilty to present an afternoon of music and celebration that will encourage us all to take steps to live more sustainably. Clonakilty became Ireland’s first ‘Fairtrade Town’ in 2003 and so this event will mark its 20th birthday.
As well as the music, we will hear from a few guest speakers including a local Fairtrade chocolate producer who will demonstrate the basics of bean-to-bar chocolate making and explain how sustainable practices like Fairtrade and waste reduction can benefit our towns and communities.
The Green Dot run a reusable cup scheme for your teas and coffees.
Supported by Cork County Council’s Environmental Awareness Office
The Five are a newly formed West Cork vocal harmony collective. Mary Callaghan, Tess Leak, Susan McManamon, Eithne O’Mahony and Simone O’Rourke explore together and share the joy of great folk, traditional and contemporary songs using lush acapella harmonies.