Join the Cigf25 Festival Allstars for a raucous Blues Session at the legendary Fahey’s Bar! This event pays homage to the rich heritage of blues music, which originated in African-American communities in the Deep South following the Civil War. The blues is deeply rooted in the soulful expressions of work songs, spirituals, and field hollers, capturing the essence of the struggles and triumphs of everyday life.
Swing You Sinners are gonna get you dancing at O’Donovans this guitar fest!
Led by guitarist and swing dance teacher Paul Hogan, this 6 piece band has played together for two years around West Cork, to jumping jiving audiences at jazz festivals, swing dance nights, and parties galore. Alongside Paul is the effervescent Andrew McGinn on banjo and vocals, sweet-singing, rhythm-grooving Mae Kiely on washboard and vocals, and a tight and twirly horn trio consisting of Tony Adams on clarinet, Tony Moot on trumpet. and Ruti Lachs on trombone. The core band is joined from time to time by special guests on saxes, double bass, drums, more clarinets, more trumpets!
‘Swing’, that utterly dance-able rhythm, was the defining characteristic of the American 1930’s jazz scene. The tunes range from dirty swing blues tunes providing an escape from the Great Depression, to wild and rebellious Charleston tunes that could be interpreted as a mockery of those who supported Prohibition. And the lyrics! Love, loss, and longing, with moody and moving improvised three-horn solos.
Swing You Sinners are guaranteed to get feet tapping and hips swaying. And you can learn some of those foot-stomping Charleston moves as Mae steps off stage to teach an easy routine as part of the gig.
Clonakilty Youth Orchestra is a dynamic and inclusive youth-led project which has been performing since 2014 under the volunteer supervision of local composer and violinist Justin Grounds. Come and hear the next generation of musicians play their take on classical, jazz and film music, featuring a special collaboration with youth choir ‘The Awesome Wonders’
Riverside reverb,
music by the Feagle .
Come join West Cork river group Clochán Uisce for music by the iver Feagle and experience the collective community connection to the river through our newly launched booklet music and song. This multidisciplinary book details the historical, ecological and cultural significance of the river that runs through our town. Live music by local young musicians. Kindly supported by the Credit Union
Here we find darkness, humour, love and loss intertwining with guitar rhythms, heart strings, violin bows and wooden stomp box…
Slampy music from the Outer Hebrides.
Geoff Tate brings his **Back Stage Pass Travel** group to guitartown where he will host an intimate evening of music with a hand picked cast of international musicians.
-Geoff Tate –
Internationally renowned vocalist **Geoff Tate** is recognised as one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in rock music. As the original lead singer and founding member of the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated band *Queensrÿche*, Tate helped shape the sound of progressive metal with his signature four-octave range, theatrical stage presence, and visionary approach to songwriting. Albums such as *Operation: Mindcrime* and *Empire* remain genre-defining works, selling over 25 million records worldwide and cementing Tate’s status as a true innovator in modern rock.
In addition to his extraordinary career with *Queensrÿche*, Tate has forged a successful path as a solo artist and collaborator, consistently pushing musical boundaries and engaging audiences across six continents. His work is marked by artistic versatility, from delivering iconic rock anthems to performing symphonic and operatic projects that showcase his unmatched vocal ability.
Expanding his creative endeavors beyond the stage, Tate is also the co-founder of **Back Stage Pass Travel**, a boutique travel company offering fans immersive cultural and musical experiences around the globe. A hallmark of these journeys are the **exclusive jam sessions** hosted by Tate, where he and a rotating cast of international musicians come together with guests for intimate evenings of music. These sessions are dynamic, collaborative events—blending world-class musicianship with spontaneous creativity—making them a highlight of every tour.
From chart-topping records to unforgettable live performances and innovative fan experiences, Geoff Tate continues to inspire audiences worldwide, reaffirming his place as one of rock’s most enduring and influential voices.
Zoé Basha is a musician, composer and carpenter, of French and American origins. Based between Ireland and the traveling life for over a decade, Zoé blends traditional singing with jazz and blues. Her original pieces and traditional songs explore the crossover between the sway of Appalachian mountain songs, the fervour and solemn ornamentation of Irish traditional songs, and the pulse of American ragtime through playful, syncopated guitar and a booming voice reminiscent of some old jazz record you can’t quite put your finger on.
After growing up between the U.S. and France, traveling by thumb, freight trains, and taking the scenic route with rust-bucket vans, she played music in the streets for years to sustain the journey. In a milieu blending feminism, radical politics, queer theory and traditional music, she made her home in Dublin.
In 2023, she was a featured singer at Féile Róise Rua, and a Music Network RESONATE Residency recipient. Following the release of an album with vocal harmony trio Rufous Nightjar in March 2024, Zoé recorded her debut solo album ‘Gamble’ – set for release on April 17th 2025. The album was recorded at Black Mountain Studios in Dundalk, with a band of esteemed musicians adding organ, upright bass, fiddle, dobro and drums, to voice and guitar. It was mixed and mastered by Grammy-award winning engineer Ben Rawlins.
“A deft new voice in folk”— The Guardian (Folk Album of The Month)
“soulfully authentic and fearlessly genre-blending”— Earmilk
“The most striking thing about Zoé Basha’s music might be the way it manipulates its own contradictions: this is both folk music and not folk music, it is jazz but not jazz, but at no point does it feel anything other than itself, gloriously and proudly so” — KLOF
Leevy is a West Cork-based folk punk project fronted by performer and songwriter Amhlaoibh McSweeney. Their live shows are wild, high-energy journeys through Irish punk, folk, and rock – delivering both uproarious choruses and moments of quiet introspection. Influenced by The Pogues, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pixies, Neil Young, and Tom Waits, they’ve carved out a sound that roars with pounding drums, banjos, whistles, and heavy guitars – part dreamscape, part carnivalesque nightmare. The band consists of McSweeney on Vocals and Guitar, Darren Faul on drums, Johno Kool on Lead Guitar, Bobby Wolfe on Banjo and whistles and Diarmuid Wolfe on bass. McSweeney’s lyrics walk a line between the surreal and the deeply personal, weaving strange tales with sharp humour, emotional weight, and a distinctly Irish sense of storytelling.