A great line-up of music at this year’s Cairde Sligo Arts Festival includes a special addition to the programme – Songs by the Sea – a new series of music at seaside locations in Sligo presented in collaboration with Bluestack Records.
First up is Sligo based artist and songwriter Pearse McGloughlin in Shells, Strandhill, on Wed 6th at 8pm. Pearse’s work often deals in literary and philosophical themes. His music has been described as captivating, elegant and nuanced.
Patrick Freeman, a guitarist and songwriter currently based in Dublin will perform in Pudding Row, Easkey on Thursday July 7 at 6pm. Having spent a number of years as a session musician and performer, Freeman’s debut album “Cherry Blossom Fall” was recorded at Big Skin HQ and was released to critical acclaim in October 2015.
Songwriter and artist Tara Baoth Mooney will be joined by Ramona Sakalauskaite, the Russian harpist from St Petersburg in Eithna’s by the Sea, Mullaghmore on Thursday July 7 at 9pm. The songs which Tara and Ramona will perform are taken from new material which Tara is working on for her first solo album and will also include a selection of classical music played by Ramona.
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival is renowned for presenting an exceptional line-up of world and cross genre music and 2016 is no exception with Alpaca Social Club, Amica, Donal Dineen’s The Pipes The Pipes and Tropicana Musica.
World music duo Alpaca Social Club are Prague-based Craig Denham on piano, accordian and whistles and Dingle’s Jon Sanders on guizouki and ukes. With strong roots in acoustic music, celtic trad and various world styles including arabic and gypsy jazz cyclones, they are something of a live phenomenon. See them Upstairs in McGarrigles on Friday, July 8, at 10pm.
Also upstairs in McGarrigles, festival favorites Tropicana Musica are joined by special guests on Saturday July 9 at 10pm. Following this, fresh from his 3pm Kids One Worlds Disco in The Hawkswell Foyer, DJ Will Softly will give the adults their turn to shake, move, wiggle and bounce!
Donal Dineen’s homage to the magic of the Irish Uilleann Pipes will perform at The Model on Sunday July 10 featuring exceptional pipers Leonard Barry, Maitiú ” Casaide, John Tuohy and Padraig McGovern and live visuals by Dineen and Lionel Palun.
Described by The Journal of Music as a ‘bridge from the tangible and sonic into the visual world, a channel that feeds the wild energy and punch of the music’, this is a very special event which will round up a week of events at this year’s festival.
Don’t miss Dublin-based Amica at The Swagman on Wednesday July 6 at 10pm. Musical sisterhood sums up this duet. DJ Dubble V, Veronica Vierin, works a creative mix of sounds played out in combination with Aminah Dastan’s live vocals and sound effects. Their musical adventures visit electro-soul, dub and bass culture sounds.
Declan O’Rourke needs no introduction having achieved critical acclaim for his songwriting, singing and performance. Jon Pareles of The New York Times said there was virtuosity in his guitar playing, with ‘intricately contrapuntal picking and meticulous dynamics,’ and that his calling was as a balladeer.
Paul Weller said of O’Rourke’s song ‘Galileo’ that it’s possibly the greatest song written in the last thirty years. A consummate and versatile performer, his songs will mesmerize all at The Hawkwell on Friday July 8, 8pm.
And that’s not all! The line-up for this year’s Park Fest on Sunday, July 10 includes music performances by Erdini, The Wranglers, The Mass Band with street theatre performances by The Raven Sisters and Caolan McBride.
Bring a picnic blanket and join us for this free day long event in Sligo’s Peace Park. Then you can head straight from Park Fest over to The Model for The Pipes the Pipes – a music and live art performance devised by Donal Dineen which starts at 8pm.
Homage to the singular magic of the Irish Uilleann Pipes, at the heart of this live experience is the playing of three exceptional pipers, Leonard Barry, Padraig McGovern and Maitiú ” Casaide. Visual artists Lionel Palun and Donal Dineen respond to the mesmerising soundwaves by conjuring a magical picture show unique to every performance.
For full information and booking log onto www.cairdefestival.com.
