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.
Liz Clark is an Ireland-based singer, songwriter, performer, and musician. Liz has recorded five full length studio albums of original songs. Over the past 15 years she has performed and collaborated throughout the US and Europe. Liz has worked solo engagements as well collaboratively in a group and leading full bands. She has performed alongside the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, The Counting Crows and others.
Over the past four years she has been working extensively in the Arts and Health context in which she developed a collaborative approach to the songwriting process in healthcare settings across West Cork. As part of the Arts For Health Partnership Programme, she developed The Starling Song Project which preserves stories and heritage from older participants in the form of song. From this work, she developed The Starling Band, involving three other singers and instrumentalists to showcase this music in a wider context outside of the hospitals. They have been featured at the Skibbereen Arts Festival twice and performed in pubs and concert venues throughout West Cork.
She also spends time mentoring young people through the Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre with songwriting, singing, band participation, live performance and recording. “In the last few years I have found so much more meaning in my work through working with people who have different perspectives and learning from different cultures. This work has really made me push myself and grow”.
James Keegan is a singer-songwriter from Cork. Rooted in acoustic pop/folk, James brings a warm, easy listening atmosphere. From gaining praise from Damien Dempsey for his “powerful voice” to being stated by Music Crowns as “a man with a guitar against the world”, the young singer-songwriter plans for a good year ahead.
James has played in venues such as Whelans, Cyprus Avenue and Dolans, along with playing more intimate venues such as Connollys of Leap and Seachurch, recently supported artists such as Mundy and Ryan O Shaughnessy.
James has had two back to back No.1 singles on the iTunes Charts in Ireland with his two songs Take Me Home and Attach Me to the Fire.
Keep an eye on James’ social media for updates and new music!
Serengeti Long Walk’s guitar-fired rock sound absorbs a number of influences culled from the diverse musical tastes of the six-member group stretching from folk to rock through to pop and jazz, and all are active in the writing process. Developing new material revolves around a regular ritual of retreat to an old converted stables near Caherdaniel, Co. Kerry where the band has stayed for extended periods over the past 15 years or so.
In October 2012 the band released their first album Glimmerless which mixed new material with fresh versions of older songs that were regularly played live but had not previously been recorded. In March 2018 the band subsequently released Wave Signs, an album of entirely new compositions.
In April 2020, the band released their third album, Live At Lian Club Rome, a recording of a 2019 concert in Rome. A hiatus from live gigs resulted from the pandemic but in January 2021 their fourth collection Wealth In The Cellar was a trawl through the archives, bringing together remastered demos and out-takes of songs originally recorded between 2007 and 2010 during the sessions that led to the Glimmerless album.
Serengeti Long Walk continue to write new material and expect to release a studio album in 2024. The band records as a six piece but usually gig locally as a four piece with a pared back sound. The band are Ray Clifford (drums), Joe Dermody (guitar), Ger Duggan (vocals), Des O’Mahony (bass guitar) together with the less frequently gigging members Mick Duggan (keyboards) and Jon Heffernan (guitar).
O Deer is the musical project of Oisín Walsh-Peelo, who is a session musician and has played throughout the USA, Europe, Ireland, and the UK. He has toured worldwide with a wide range of artists and bands including Hudson Taylor, Hozier, Gabrielle Aplin, Hannah-Grace, Villagers, Sun Collective, and I Have a Tribe.
Sligo-born Dublin-based artist Callum Wall kicked off his career in earnest in 2021. His debut EP LIVIN’ IN LIMBO is already a cult classic within the city’s burgeoning indie scene, having amassed over 30,000 streams to date.
Recordings aside, Wall is also known for his exciting live performances. His set sparks influence from bands like the Smiths with fast guitar riffs, bands like Fleetwood Mac for their sweet melodies, and artists like Neil Young and Bob Dylan with emphasis on lyrical storytelling.
Having the guts of 50 gigs under his belt Wall has a passion for live performance.
With appearances at Wildroots Festival, De Barras in Clonakilty, Workmans Club, Grand Social, The Lighthouse, The Cellar, and gigs just about anywhere else in the capital and beyond.
Callum Wall’s short stint in operation has proved to be entirely successful and exciting.
Clonakilty’s local quartet explores the rich landscape of jazz, switching easily between the genres of swing, bepop, latin and gypsy jazz. Guitarists Matt Hart and Dónal O’Sullivan join double bassist George Hart and drummer Brian O’Higgins to create a sound that infuses classic jazz tunes with a unique improvisational style honed over years of performing together.
David Murphy will take Clonakilty Guitar Festival aficionados on a deep-dive into the world of the steel guitar. Discussing the history and evolution of this unique instrument from its origins in Hawaiian music, bluegrass and country into experimental and ambient music in the 21st century. This talk and exhibition will feature performances on the weissenborn acoustic lap steel, dobro and pedal steel guitars.
1, 2, 3, 4! Get ready for Ringo: Music Music, the world’s greatest music-intro-comedy-game-not-quiz. It’s bingo with bands instead of numbers, with incredible clues and sometimes incredulous jokes. Fun for all the family, it’s a hit at festivals, venues, bars and weddings. Ronan gives you the sheet and you tick them off as you go.
What do you call it when you bring a book into the toilet? Lou Reed
When the lead singer of The Police dies will we call him Stung?
What did John Lennon sing when he was very happy with this new haircut? Love Me Do