I was in Dublin city centre this morning for the first time in 12 months. The last time I was there was to see Jane Willow perform in the Cobblestone Pub on February 29th 2020. I never, not for a moment, thought things would turn out as they did. I was looking forward to a year full of gigs and excitement. I think we all know how that turned out. After doing what I had to workwise, I took a spin around Dublin before I headed home. I drove by the aforementioned Cobblestone Pub , the Voodoo Lounge , The Grand Social , The Workmans Club , The Sugar Club and ended up outside Whelans . I've had great nights out in each of those venues and in many more around the country! Dolans of Limerick, Crane Lane Theatre and Kino in Cork, Odd Mollies in Drogheda, the Moat Theatre in Naas, the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, Visual in Carlow... The list goes on and on. 2017 and Helmet played Whelans. There I am partying with them after the s
A few months back, a friend mentioned a gig that was taking place in Whelans in September. Glen Hansard, David Keenan, Mark Geary and a few others were all due to play. It sounded like a good night out and hey, it was in aid of a charity, so I just had to go!
Turns out that the charity in question was Aidlink. So who are they? Well, Aidlink are an Irish NGO working with communities in Kenya, Ghana & Uganda to deliver basic needs such as water, education, healthcare and promoting & protecting Girls' Rights. That’s a very worthy cause so go check out their website.
OK, that’s the reason we were all there out of the way, so who played you’re probably wondering. Well lots, lots of artists played! I don’t have photos of everyone unfortunately, fun got in the way of taking photos at times!
Check out the photos below:
Turns out that the charity in question was Aidlink. So who are they? Well, Aidlink are an Irish NGO working with communities in Kenya, Ghana & Uganda to deliver basic needs such as water, education, healthcare and promoting & protecting Girls' Rights. That’s a very worthy cause so go check out their website.
OK, that’s the reason we were all there out of the way, so who played you’re probably wondering. Well lots, lots of artists played! I don’t have photos of everyone unfortunately, fun got in the way of taking photos at times!
The main gig was downstairs in Whelans, each artist played 2 or 3 songs and things moved along nicely. I also caught a few acts live that I'd never seen before such as Ailbhe Reddy, Ruth Mac, Junior Brother and Larry Beau. It's aleays great to be introduced to new music!
Mind you, it wasn't all music. The rather brilliant Natalya O'Flaherty performed some of her own poetry and you couldn't help but be moved by it. Amazing stuff.
But like all good things, the night had to come to an end. Well... A few of the artists and some of the punters retired to the smaller upstairs venue where the party continued in earnest!
Mundy, Steve Wall, Sample Answer and Jane Willow all got up to play a few more tunes and kept the party alive till the very early hours. Rumour has it that there is a photo of me on stage with all those legends. I say rumour... The photo is actually sitting in a frame in my house!
It would be amazing if the “Hey Troubadour” gig was to become and annual event, showcasing the best and brightest of the new school with the elder states folk of the Irish music scene. Here’s hoping that Born Optimistic will make it happen!
Mind you, it wasn't all music. The rather brilliant Natalya O'Flaherty performed some of her own poetry and you couldn't help but be moved by it. Amazing stuff.
But like all good things, the night had to come to an end. Well... A few of the artists and some of the punters retired to the smaller upstairs venue where the party continued in earnest!
Mundy, Steve Wall, Sample Answer and Jane Willow all got up to play a few more tunes and kept the party alive till the very early hours. Rumour has it that there is a photo of me on stage with all those legends. I say rumour... The photo is actually sitting in a frame in my house!
It would be amazing if the “Hey Troubadour” gig was to become and annual event, showcasing the best and brightest of the new school with the elder states folk of the Irish music scene. Here’s hoping that Born Optimistic will make it happen!
Check out the photos below:
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| Steve Wall |
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| Ruth Mac |
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| Glen Hansard |
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| Sample Answer |
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| Ailbhe Reddy |
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| Junior Brother |
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| David Keenan |
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| Mark Geary |
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| Mundy |
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| Steve Wall |
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| Sample Answer |
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| Jane Willow |