Renowned for organising the very successful annual Shannonside Winter Music Festival and a calendar of eclectic concerts throughout the year, the activities of the Sixmilebridge Folk Club were adversely affected by COVID-19 resulting in the sound of music in the village being silenced.
All that is set to change as the committee has regrouped, and while it is not currently feasible to resurrect the Festival in its past form, priority is being given to organising a series of concerts in Gleeson’s Bar in Sixmilebridge over the coming months.
The first of these concerts will take place on Friday, 10 February at 8pm. This concert will feature Mark Donnellan, Brian Donnellan and Michael Landers and will be led by fiddle player Mark Donnellan from Kilmurry, who picked up his music from his father Francie, one of the original members of the Tulla Céilí Band. Mark has played festivals, céilí concerts and sessions both at home and abroad for over thirty years and has been anchoring Wednesday night sessions in Peppers Bar in Feakle for the past twenty-three years.
Brian Donnellan is an accomplished concertina, bouzouki, harmonium, and piano player who hails from an East Clare family steeped in traditional Irish music. He is a member of the Tulla Céilí Band and the newly established quintet with Martin Hayes and The Common Ground Ensemble. Brian has performed at many national and international festivals including Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and The Feakle Festival as well as concerts in London, New York, and the National Concert Hall.
Michael Landers is an accomplished guitar player and singer originally from Kildare but now living in Tulla, Co. Clare where he has been immersed in East Clare music for over three decades. Michael has played with many different musicians down through the years and has performed all over the country and abroad. He plays in numerous sessions, with the Old Ground session on a Sunday night being his regular gig.
Announcing the regrouping of the Folk Club committee and the return of concerts to the village, the chairman of Sixmilebridge Folk Club Gerry Phelan said: “The pandemic forced us to disband but we are now delighted to be able to reorganise concerts and to keep the ethos of the Folk Club alive. The Club was formed over twenty years ago to promote live music locally through active engagement with local and visiting musicians and audience members as equal partners. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for community appreciation and participation and to facilitate local and visiting musicians of all genres and musical ability to learn and perform.
“The concerts are the start of our plans going forward. We also hope to reintroduce weekly music classes, but we need additional committee members to help us achieve our goals. We would encourage anyone from Sixmilebridge who has an interest in music and would like to contribute to the full revival of Folk Club activities to attend our first concert on Friday, 10 February and make themselves known to any of the committee members,” said Mr Phelan.
The concert in Gleeson’s Bar commences at 8pm with doors opening at 7.30pm. No advance booking required. A small cover charge of €5 to cover hosting costs applies.