IrishMJ

I can't remember the first time I stumbled across For Those I Love , I think it might have been on the Tommy Tiernan Show  in early 2021, but I'm not sure...  Anyway, the debut album, also called For Those I Love was released in March 2021 and I obviously bought it.  If you haven't heard it yet, I'd suggest you go buy it, it's probably the album of the year.  A week later, tickets for a gig in the Olympia Theatre went on sale.  That, in itself, is pretty spectacular. The Olympia is a decent sized venue, and For Those I Love were a relative newcomer on the scene... Needless to say, it sold out and, well, I was there and what a night it was.  It was a gig filled with love for lost friends, anger that friends were gone, joy at the crowd reaction and, well, the cheers for Shelbourne Rovers! Look, it was just an epic night, just incredible and probably the gig of the year! Support on the night was from the brilliant Jordan O'Leary of The Scratch who kicked things

It had been a while coming thanks to Covid, but Pete Kavanagh finally got to launch his debut album ' Join Up the Dots ' in the Moat Theatre on Saturday night, and what a night it was! Pete literally bounced on to stage, gone were the worries that this gig might never take place due to lockdown fears, it was on and it was happening! From the off, the night was filled with laughter and we were treated to a run through of the album with the crowd singing along at times. The album isn't all happiness though, there are sombre moments, such as ' Mercy ' which deals with the Church / State  Mother and Baby Homes scandal. Anyway, it was a fantastic night, great to see the album get the launch it deserved and great to see Pete get the credit he richly deserved! Support on the night was from  Mairéad Carroll  who treated us to a set that included, song, poetry and some beautiful fiddle playing! On to the photos:

I first saw Janet Devlin on X Factor way back in 2011 and then she disappeared off my radar for the next 8 or 9 years.  Then, after all that time, she popped up on my social media accounts and I started following her. Over the last few years, Devlin has been very open about her struggles with her mental health and alcohol issues and released a book called ' My Confessional ' that dealt with a lot of those issues. So, when she announced a Dublin gig, I figured I'd head along and see what's what, and that's how I ended up in the Soundhouse last night! She literally bounced on to stage and straight into two songs before even stopping to take a breath!  I'd love to tell you what she played, but honestly, I can't, I'm just not that familiar with her work.  What I can tell you though is that it was a bloody good gig, I really enjoyed it! Support on the night was from one of the best buskers you'll see in Dublin, Saibh Skelly .  Keep an eye out for her, s