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2023-03-18 St. Patricks Festival - Collins Barracks

So there I was, Thursday night, facing into the St. Patricks Holiday weekend, three days with no plans.  I figured I'd take it easy, sleep lots, eat crap food, maybe, just maybe go to the cinema.

Then my phone buzzed and my plans changed immediately.  It was a message from Cat Dowling, 'Would I like a pass to the St. Patricks Festival on Saturday night?'  Obviously I replied YES! and then went to check out who was playing...

The lineup on the Main Stage was:

As it turns out, there were a few other stages dotted around, but somehow I managed to totally miss them.  I'm not exactly sure how I did that, but I think the lesson to be learned is to read the website correctly!

So, how was the festival?  Well, the venue itself, Collins Barracks, is excellent, and well served by public transport with the Luas stopping right outside.  There were plenty of food and drink options, a decent amount of benches too. The older I get, the more important those benches are!  Staff were helpful which is always nice.  All in all, a nice spot for a gig and I'll be back there in August for The Vamps.


Tthat's all well and good, but how was the music???  Well, I could tell you that Khakikid was exciting and energetic, jumping in and out of the crowd all set, or that Cat Dowling put on a fantastic show and Animals remains one of my favourite live tracks out there, or that I'd never heard bass notes like those produced by Katie Kim, or even that Pillow Queens were feckin immense and closed out the night in front of an adoring crowd.

I could do all that, but I'd rather show you some photos of the day instead:





Khaki Kid







Cat Dowling


Katie Kim








Pillow Queens





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