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.
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!”
Blonde are a four piece band form West Cork. Formed in 2023, they’re a fresh voice that is also a bit familiar. Sure to bring plenty of loud songs with nice melodies.
The band consists of Ferdia Gibbons (Guitar and Vocals), Cathal O’ Regan (Bass and Vocals), Aaron Crowley (Drums) and Harold Paulino (Guitar)
The Céilí Allstars are an exciting traditional Irish music band from Cork.
They formed from a group of friends playing the session trail in Cork city in the late nineties. Their musical style includes shades of Sliabh Luachra – where they originate from – combined with generous sprinklings of folk & country.
They’ve played residencies in some of Cork’s legendary folk venues and have also performed at festivals around the globe.
The Ceilí Allstars are: Michael O’ Sullivan – Banjo, Flor Rahilly – Guitar and Vocals, Stan O’ Sullivan – Fiddle and Lisa O’ Sullivan – Fiddle.
John Spillane is a long-time friend of CIGF, playing at almost every edition bar two, as well as spearheading our attempts to break the World Record for the largest ensemble guitar performance in 2009 where 981 guitarists played ‘Óró sé do bheatha abhaile in unison. “It was like a scene from a Disney movie,” — John Spillane
John Spillane is a musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet and dreamer. Rooted in people, place and story, his music transports the listener and his live performances captivate audiences around the world.
After his acclaimed release of 100 Snow White Horses in 2021, in October 2022, John will released ‘In Another Light’ a career spanning album recorded live at the Right Here Right Now Festival recorded at Cork Opera House in November 2021.
After beginning guitar 6 years ago it wasn’t until lockdown that Andrew really began to drive forward with the instrument learning new songs and playing styles over this period of time. This, combined with growing live performance experience gigging in Limerick, DeBarras and trad sessions in Ardfield under the watchful eyes of Jim Murray & CIGF co- organiser Kevin McNally has him ear marked as one to watch for the future.
Andrew’s delicate finger picking and interpretation of modern pop through the lens of classic folk is a welcome addition to the burgeoning West Cork Musical scene …
Ursidae are a West-Coast musical collective centered on lead singer and guitarist Dónal Tuipéar. The band features a revolving lineup of musicians from the four corners of the country who help bring Dónal’s fighter pilot approach to songwriting to life. Driven by infectious-ramshackle energy, Ursidae are the self-proclaimed West-Coast Stewards of charming indie-folk-rock.
As part of the ongoing ‘Rekindling the Light Within’ project across West Cork, composer Justin Grounds curates a weekly outdoor listening party to encourage people to take a break in one of Clonakilty’s beautiful outside spaces and listen to some of the most beautiful music known to man. To find out locations and times follow @stoplooklistenclon on Instagram.
Justin is presenting a special guitar-themed session for the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival.
‘We want the impact of our festival to continue to reverberate throughout Clonakilty celebrating the diversity that makes this town so vibrant. We ALL are guitar town’
‘Reverb’ incorporates the educational and community outreach programme that runs parallel with the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival. It ensures that the effects of the festival are experienced by as diverse a selection of our community as possible. You may not hear Reverb, but you’ll definitely feel its effects! The main festival caters to a general audience and takes place in a range of venues across the town. However, there are members of the community who are unable to access these events, for a variety of reasons. The ‘Reverb’ programme brings artists and facilitators directly in contact with these groups so they don’t have to miss out.
We aim to facilitate meaningful artistic participation for a diverse group of people with the ultimate aim of empowering members of the community who are sometimes marginalised. Each year we team up with the Irish Wheelchair Association, CoAction, Cope Foundation, The Family Resource Centre, the ETB, and many other local groups This year we have a new partnership, funded by National Lottery, with Arts For Health West Cork (https://artsforhealthwestcork.com/) to bring Liz Clarkes ‘Radio Dedication Hour’ to Clonakilty Hospital, as well as to host performances by Justin Grounds in Bushmount and Care Choice nursing homes.
David’s journey into music began with hearing Ed Shearan’s first album however he has only began to perform publicly in the middle of the pandemic in September 2021.
Since then he has plied his trade busking and at a select few private functions where he caught the eyes of the organisers of the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival who then immediately booked him to perform from the Duff Box for 2021’s festival. This performance was captured by photographer Ciaran Foley and featured in the Irish online music blog Golden Plec.