UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Fred Cooke for a hilarious, earth-friendly clown show that’ll leave you laughing and thinking!

Supported By The Department of Transport and Culture

Opening Night of John Blek SOURCE FEST! Blek is an artist with a story to tell. With his timeless emotive voice and layered fingerstyle guitar you will be

transported from scene to scene as his expansive songbook unfolds.

John Blek is Cork City born and bred currently residing only a mile or two from his childhood home but listening to his

music you can hear the influence of travel and experience. His parents, both of whom were primary school teachers,

had to bribe him to stay in school after his 16th birthday with the promise of a new guitar on the completion of his final

exams. Such was John’s belief in his ability and chosen path in life that he was willing to forgo the more traditional

education sought by his peers. This conviction carries through to his art. His music is written from such a personal

place that it creates the sense that he grew up with these songs, that they are in his blood – and in a way he did, they

are his thoughts, his words, his sounds and his stories. Though not all autobiographical, like many of the great

painters, an element of the artist exists in every portrait.

While Blek is a solo artist he regularly collaborates, and indeed will write new music with collaborators in mind. As a

result, it never feels like another artist is merely gate crashing his music instead it works as a beautiful harmonious

meeting of artists who understand each other. Recent collaborations include Kris Drever & Kit Downes who both join

John on his album “On Ether & Air”, Joan Shelley who embodies Laura, one of the characters in Blek’s duet “The

Body”, Nathan Salzburg of the Alan Lomax Archive who, with John is currently investigating lesser known folk songs

that travelled from Ireland to America in the mid 1800s with the support and funding of the `Arts Council of Ireland and

fellow Corkonian Mick Flannery who duets with him on Revived a single from the 2020 album “The Embers”.

Independent Irish singer and guitarist Síomha (pronounced She-vah) dances the line

between folk, jazz and neo-soul effortlessly taking audiences on an unexpected and

unforgettable journey with her soulful melodies. Her debut album ‘Infinite Space’,

described by The Irish Times as “a seriously accomplished and self-confident debut”,

is a collection of songs in both Irish and English. A kind of cosmic, folk-informed,

jazz-tinged, post-pop - it was produced by Grammy-nominated Tyler Duncan and

features an all-star lineup of musicians including Joe Dart (Vulfpeck), Louis Cato

(Bobby McFerrin/ Snarky Puppy), Martin Atkinson Borrull (Toucan) and violinist

Jeremy Kittel (Bela Fleck/ Chris Thile). Síomha’s voice is full of raw heartfelt

experience. When listening to her, audiences are instantly moved to feel on the

deepest level and come out more intimately connected to their own worlds.

Coming from a family steeped in music, Síomha grew up on a diet of musical greats

with the sounds of jazz, trad, folk and soul creeping in and leaving an indelible mark

on her musical tastes and influences. She started playing the guitar at age 10 but it

was later in her teens while attending high school in the south of France that she

first took up jazz guitar after a chance encounter led to her learning from an Italian

gypsy who taught her the manouche gypsy jazz style. The chords and sounds of jazz

fascinated and inspired Síomha and she began to craft her own songs.

The next few years saw her travelling, with music as her compass, soaking up the

sounds of each place she travelled and further honing her craft. In late 2016, having

traversed America, Canada and Mexico, she felt an innate draw to return to her home

shores and a phenomenal few years have followed. Síomha has been a regular guest

of folk legend Paul Brady and has performed at festivals such as Electric Picnic, Celtic

Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival and Fête de la Musique at Centre Culturel

Irlandais in Paris. In 2018, she was invited to tour with the celebrated contemporary

American-Irish group the olllam and instantly formed a bond with founding

member Tyler Duncan. In 2019, Síomha and her long-term creative collaborator

Martin Atkinson Borrull began recording her debut album in Michigan, USA with

Tyler as producer. Síomha was selected as an Official Showcase Artist at Folk Alliance

International 2023 in Kansas City, MI and she was recently awarded The Music

Network performance residency at Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris where she will

spend a month working on new material. Síomha was recently invited to record

some of her songs with The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, arranged by Cormac McCarthy.

These tracks will be released on a new EP titled ‘Infinite Space Reimagined’, a follow

up to her ambitious debut album. The EP will also feature a track with Metropole

Orkest, the world’s leading pop and jazz orchestra who have collaborated with Ella

Fitzgerald, Bono, Snarky Puppy and Robbie Williams.

Síomha is an artist full of heart and her music defies conventional genres. The

influences of her musical background, her travels and her musical explorations are

audible in the music she creates. Always proud of her Irish heritage, she performs her

songs in English and Irish. The beautiful landscape and rugged nature of her native

West of Ireland are a huge source of inspiration for this proud Co. Clare artist leading

her to create a soulful and unique style of music that enthrals anyone who hears it.

Join us for a night of comedy with the fantastic and hilarious Reggie and his "Reggie's Farm" tour.

 He's Back after his sell out show last year, this is not to be missed