If you were unsure where to head for the June bank holiday, we’ve got you covered, with a wide range of options from live music, dance, literature, poetry, visual art to theatre and much more. The full programme will be announced soon, but here’s what we have planned for your evenings.
Thursday 28 May - 8pm
Opening Night with Satakieli and Aindrias de Staic
Church of Ireland - Free with wristband
Satakieli
Satakieli – literally a hundred tongues is the Finnish word for nightingale. On moving to Ireland from the UK in 2019, it was Richard Pomfret’s ambition to create a small ‘a cappella’ group of upper voices to sing the beautiful folk-based and contemporary music which has its roots in the folklore and sagas of Finland, (a sister choir to Enkelit ‘Angels’ - which he formed in the north of England in 2003)… After a Covid delay, Satakieli was born in 2022 and comprises around a dozen singers from Clare who rehearse once a month on a Sunday afternoon in Kilkishen.
Aindrias de Staic
Storytelling in his blood and music in his bones, Aindrias de Staic brings his electrifying show By The Light of the Silvery Moon to open the 30th anniversary of Mountshannon Arts Festival.
This is a rollercoaster of a performance — irreverent, bawdy, fast-paced and wildly entertaining. With his unique storytelling style, Aindrias blends myth, memory and mischief while performing alongside two outstanding musicians, percussionist Brian Fleming and harpist Aisling Lyons.
Together they create a live sonic landscape that transforms each tale into a rich fusion of story and sound.
‘He’s a waterboy seanachai, the Pied Piper of mischief, if he didn’t exist, we’d have to invent him, our culture needs spirits like this, a wayward Irish fiddle playing dream talker’. Tommy Tiernan
‘A pioneer in the revival of traditional storytelling, Aindrias has become one of the key figures in the mining, exploration and presentation of Irish Stories and Mythology. He breathes new life into the old tales – infusing them with musicality, rhythm and his unique insights on life’. Manchan Mangan
Landless - Credit Photo: John Lyons & Ruth Clinton
Friday 29 May - 8pm
Landless
Church of Ireland - €18/ €15 with wristband
Landless are: Lily Power, Méabh Meir, Ruth Clinton and Sinéad Lynch.
The Irish quartet sings centuries old ballads as well as more recently penned folk songs. Sometimes unaccompanied and at times with subtle instrumentation, their vocally rich music is dark and patient; spellbinding and gorgeous.
Lúireach is their second album and as with their acclaimed debut Bleaching Bones (2018), it is produced by John ‘Spud’ Murphy, known for his work with artists such as Lankum and ØXN.
“There is something about voices in harmony that make you feel good – and Landless have this to perfection.There are no airs and graces, just beautiful harmonies, their sound uplifting and spiritual, even ethereal.”-- KLOF magazine
Saturday 30 May
Earl Okin
Hall - €18/ €15 with wristband (including a glass of wine)
Earl Okin celebrates his Diamond Jubilee, this year.
60 years in music.
In the 1960s he recorded at Abbey Road and his songs were sung by Cilla Black, Helen Shapiro etc.
In the 1970s, Earl was in demand at Folk clubs and festivals, especially the one in Sligo. He also opened on tour for Van Morrison and finally Paul McCartney and Wings.
In the 1980s, Earl began to sing at Jazz Clubs and tour Europe.
He appeared twice on The Late Show with Gay Byrne and in England on the Michael Parkinson Show. He also entertained the late Queen Elizabeth II. He began an 18 year run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In the 90s, Earl's reputation grew and he performed alongside great Jazz musicians such as Benny Carter, Stephane Grappelly etc.
This century, Earl has performed in Australia, Brazil and the USA
and has become one of England's most respected Jazz and Bossa Nova singers (and on the side, a headline act on the UK comedy circuit).
He says that he is delighted to return to Eire.
I Hear You and Rejoice - Credit Photo: James Connolly
Sunday 31 May - 8pm
I Hear You and Rejoice - Mikel Murfi
Hall - €20/ €18 with wristband
Following the sellout success of The Man In The Woman’s Shoes, Mikel Murfi returns with a sequel one-man show. Late in his life, Pat Farnon, a cobbler and all-round contented man, embarks on a journey he had not quite planned and finds that every twist in the road can bring its own surprises.
“This is pure distilled 100 per cent theatrical magic’” London Evening Standard ★★★★★
“A masterclass in the art of the monologue” Time Out
“It’s impossible to resist the gale theatrical force as Mr. Murfi presents his heroine through a multi-angled prism, with body language as precise, condensed and evocative as Morse code.” Ben Brantley (The New York Times )
“Murfi is a magical performer” The Times
“This is a show that abounds with love” WhatsOnStage
“Once in a lifetime, a woman the likes of Kitsy comes along and when she does, the universe has to expand to accommodate her.” From the football field to the chapel floor, Kitsy always has the final word. By turns moving and hilarious, her friends and neighbours celebrate the impact Kitsy has made on her community.
“It’s impossible to resist the gale theatrical force as Mr. Murfi presents his heroine through a multi-angled prism, with body language as precise, condensed and evocative as Morse code.” NEW YORK TIMES CRITIC’S PICK
I Hear You And Rejoice is the second collaboration between Sligo County Council Arts Services, The Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo and Mikel Murfi.
Sunday 31 May - 9.30pm
Hall - €12/ €10 with a wristband
DJ Night with Paul Chambers
Raised in Belgium and shaped by its electronic music culture, Paul got hooked as a teenager. From early influences at home to deep crate digging in Antwerp’s record stores where he discovered a wide spectrum of electronic music, his eclectic style is wholly his own. DIY club nights, his own tracks, and years of gigs followed, from small underground spaces to festival stages far beyond what he’d planned for. More interested in connection than spotlight, he shows up as himself, drawn to the shared energy and human connections that unfold in and around the dance floor.
Monday 1 June - 7.30pm
Beneath My Garden
Through a Portal in Time
St Caimin’s Catholic Church - €15/ €12 with wristband
An original musical odyssey, time travelling through the crossroads of Irish myth and history. Rock and Irish Traditional music fusion. Performed by musicians from the shores of Lough Derg.
Some content not suitable for children
Written by Liam Glass
Featuring:
Michael Kelly (Narrator) - Cathal Moloney (Vocals & Guitar) - Rick Zevering (Lead guitar) - Cathal Keenan (Bass Guitar) - Dan Larkin (Drums & Percussion) - Denise Glass (Fiddle) - Yuki Nishioka-Dalton (Violin) - Johnny O’Brien (Keyboard) - Lisa Glass (Harp & Vocals)