IrishMJ

The last time I set foot in the Unitarian Church on St. Stephen's Green was for the recording of Cathy Davey's live album,  Live at Dublin Unitarian Church , back in March 2018.  What a night that was! Well, it might have taken 6 years to get back, but tonight I'm back baby, and it's to see the fantastic Tolka Hot Club . For those that have not heard them play before, Tolka Hot Club play Jazz with a dash of Swing, some French cabaret with a healthy dose of the Balkans mixed in and it sounds delightful. They are the type of band that when their gig is over, you have a huge smile on your face.  It's just good for your soul, it makes you happy.  Even if you don't have a soul, you'll still have a great time! I'm not quite sure what else I can say here about Tolka Hot Club really, they are superb live, just go see them.  Don't be stupid and skip their next gig, but a ticket and go.  Would I steer you wrong??? Earlier in the night, Mosatrïc performed a ro

It was a busy weekend for the first time in a while.  It all started in the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire, where Driven Snow were opening for Bressie on his Where Is My Mind tour. I arrived at the theatre for 7:30pm, introduced myself to the staff, and was then given a brief tour of the venue where they told me how to get to the various vantage points to take photos.  After that, it was time to kick back and relax for 30 minutes. Just in case you weren't aware, Driven Snow are Kieran from Deleorentos and Emily from Republic of Loose , so they're a talented duo! The show started a little after 8:00pm and the room was practically full.  It's always nice, or at least I think it is, when the support acts get to play to a full house, and they really seemed to enjoy Driven Snows set. Their album, A Kind of Dreaming , is a beautiful affair.  The perfect album to curl up with on the couch, in front of a nice fire, with the one you love.  Or, in my case, driving down the M5

Another week, another protest against the destruction, devastation and genocide that is taking place in Palestine. How anyone can look on and think that the indiscriminate murder of innocent children is okay and say it's just collateral damage, I will never, ever understand. Those who do this have no heart, have no soul, have no compassion and have no mercy. That night, outside the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Irish Health Workers and Mothers Against Genocide held a vigil to honour their brothers and sisters who have died in Palestine, most recently in Al-Shifa, and to protest against the barbaric destruction of Palestine. Later, as I stood watching, a drunk man came rambling by, muttering to himself.  He stopped to speak with me, he said "The babies, the poor babies, the poor innocent babies.  Do they have no compassion?" They being the IDF.  He then went on to tell me that he'd buried his first grandchild, just 5 months old, 3 weeks previous.   No one deserv

I headed over to Judge Roy Beans in Newbridge last weekend for the inaugural Bandamonium show.  What's Bandamonium I here you ask. Well, on Saturday night, it was all about three young bands, The Hex , Barrfite and Ritalin .  I'd heard of The Hex before, but the other two bands were totally off my radar and I'd no idea what to expect.  The stage, normally at high level, was moved to the floor to allow the crowd interact more easily with the bands, and it worked out a treat!   So, the bands, were they any good?  They were indeed.  They were all loud and rocking, but I think my favourite were The Hex and their fantastic track, Ethanol . All in all, a good night of Rock n' Roll, and I'm looking forward to Bandamonium 2! The Hex Barrfite Ritalin

It turns out that it's been almost a year to the day since I last caught Ciaràn Moran live.  That was at The Cobblestone in Smithfield back in March 2023.  There were a couple of gigs I meant to get to, but for one reason or another, I just couldn't get there.  This time though, the gig was in The Grand Social, a great venue just over by the Ha'penny Bridge, and I was not going to miss this show! I've spoken in a previous post about how myself and Ciaràn came about, so I'll not rehash it here, but it's been an absolute joy to watch him progress the way he has.  I thought he was good when I saw him in the Underground, Dublin back in 2019 and I'm happy to say I wasn't wrong! Tonight, in front of a packed house of adoring fans, friends and family, he put on a great show.  The setlist featured. amongst many others, Follow Your Soul (my favourite), Too Hard on Myself , Life Inner City and the beautiful Mother .  Also in the mix were covers of Irish standa

So, how did I end up at Wake The Show ?  Well, that's simple.  A friend of mine called and was telling me about the show and how I really should go see it and how it was very photographic and that I'd love it.  I was sold on it, so, as soon as I hung up the call, and not knowing anything more about the show, I went and booked a ticket. It's strange going to a show or a gig these days without a camera, but that's what I did last night.  I think the last time I did it was for Bono's show, " Stories of Surrender ", on Broadway.  Mind you, that was an enforced policy, tonight's show was a personal choice! Now, had I known that the audience were actively encouraged to take photos (no flash photography though, and definitely no video), I might just have brought my small Sony DSC-HX60 , but I didn't, so I didn't. Anyway, what was Wake The Show all about?  Well, they explained that is was based on the Irish Wake.  Now, I've been to many a wake and