Latest news with #ATerribleBeauty
Extra.ie
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
WATCH: Christy Moore releases video tribute to President Michael D. Higgins
Christy Moore has released the official music video for 'Music to our Ears', his spoken word tribute to President Michael D. Higgins, featuring the start-to-finish painting of a 10-foot-tall portrait of Higgins by Dublin street artist ACHES. 'Music to our Ears' is a poem to celebrate Higgins' life and legacy in the last year of his presidency. It was written by poet Johnny Broderick and performed by Moore in a track produced by Gavin Murphy. The track will feature on the extended edition of Moore's record A Terrible Beauty, set to be released later this year under Claddagh Records. Along with producing the track, Murphy scripted the video. Moore said he got involved whilst working in Murphy's studio. 'Gavin shared music he was composing for a poem John Broderick had written in advance of President Michael D's departure from Áras and Úachtaráin,' Moore said. 'I read the poem and listened to the music. I offered to recite the words. Claddagh heard it and suggested we make it available to the public. I think it is a beautiful tribute to our esteemed President and His Family. I think Johnny B's words express what many of us feel about Michael D. and our First Lady, Sabina.' ACHES is a Dublin-based street artist and National College of Art and Design graduate. He has been invited to design original art for projects around the world. The 'Music to our Ears' video is his latest work.
Irish Examiner
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Christy Moore review: A powerhouse of a performance leads to standing ovation at Live at the Marquee
Christy Moore just loves to perform for his Live at the Marquee audience, and yet another capacity night proves just how mutual that love is. Christy played the Marquee in its launch year of 2005, when Brian Wilson, the recently deceased Beach Boy, was the first artist to perform here. God only knows how Christy keeps going. He is the only artist to have attended every single Marquee. In an annual series broken only by Covid, this night was Christy's 19th year bringing his unique circus to Cork's big tent. It's hard to believe, really, that he turned 80 in May. What a powerhouse of a performance. The voice is as crystal clear as ever, the wit as sharp as a fishmonger's favourite blade. "Johnny, fill her up," he says to his technician, changing guitars. Christy Moore in concert at Live At The Marquee, Cork on Saturday. Picture: Eddie O'Hare Last year saw the release of the flawless album A Terrible Beauty, which sits up there with his all-time best work. Several of the songs featured in the tent: Cumann Na Mná and Palestine, and, of course, The Big Marquee, which he originally began writing a few years ago in the car journey down to Cork. In it, he mentions countless Cork people. "The first time I played this was in the Opera House on a tribute night for Don O'Leary of the Cork Life Centre. He's here again tonight, so we'll sing it for him. " He dedicated My Little Honda 50 to Ruby, a six-year-old attending along with two generations of her family. "Thanks to you, Ruby, you make an 80-year-old man feel really great." Christy Moore in concert at Live At The Marquee, Cork on Saturday. Picture: Eddie O'Hare Across the course of the evening, you see every shade of Christy. One minute, we are laughing at the speed of his reaction to a shout from the audience requesting a song while he's talking. "I'll be with you in five minutes, Mary. Here's a song I wrote 40 years ago. Sadly, it's entirely from my own experience. I add a new verse every year, but I can never remember the decade that I'm in." Delirium Tremens. The next minute, we are plunged into a kind of dark introspection that few of us actively seek out for our entertainment, and yet we're glad when we are floored by its stark authenticity. Like Black & Amber, Christy's a capella version of the song by Brian Brannigan of A Lazarus Soul; it's the moving tale of a woman left at home every night while her man is down the local pub: 'It's oh so lonely O he's left us on our owneo, Down the Black and Amber treatin' strangers like they're Kings'. Throughout the gig, Christy takes time to credit the many writers whose songs he records and performs. This is a regular trait in his shows. It must be a great buzz for songwriters to be name-checked by Ireland's all-time great folk artist. He mentions Hank Wedel, Martin Leahy, Jimmy McCarthy and more. "Sometimes you're singing a song, and it makes you think of another song. In 1974, I did a tour of West Cork with Jimmy Crowley, and I picked up this song." He sings Johnny Jump Up unplanned, impromptu and again a cappella. And then there's all the classic hits: Viva la Quinta Brigada, Spancil Hill, Back Home in Derry, The City of Chicago, Joxxer, Johnny Boy/Ride On, Bright Blue Rosé, The Voyage and Ordinary Man. A personal highlight for me was Christy's Yellow Triangle. A truly great song from his 1996 album Graffiti Tongue, he doesn't always play it. I'm sure it gives Christy no pleasure that his spine-chilling anti-fascist lyrics are more relevant today than ever. Politics, comedy, love and death, clapping along, singing. A night with everything. Such a powerful journey from one man's mastery to a standing ovation. Out and about at Live at the Marquee
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Five For Your Radar: Cork gigs, Glastonbury, Squid Game, and more...
Cork concerts: Duran Duran, etc Musgrave Park, Live at the Marquee, Cork, Friday-Thursday, June 27-July 3 What a week of gigs ahead. Duran Duran, supported by Nile Rodgers and Chic, play Musgrave Park (Virgin Media Park) on Tuesday, July 1, while the same night Live at the Marquee on the docklands, renowned blues player Joe Bonamassa plays Rory Gallagher on the first of three shows (next Thursday's show still has some tickets remaining). The Conoras play the Marquee on Friday, while the legendary Christy Moore returns on Saturday - expect classics and songs off last year's acclaimed album, A Terrible Beauty. Talk: Gerry McAvoy The Blue Angel, Cork Opera House, 2pm, Saturday, June 28 With the aforementioned Joe Bonamassa in town and Cork Rocks for Rory series of events continuing around the city, Gerry McAvoy, who played bass with Gallagher for 20 years, is in conversation on Saturday afternoon. Expect tales from the road and the recording studio. It's presented by Feedback Promotions as part of Gallaghers Music Festival, who are also staging a bus tour on Tuesday, July 1, of sights and landmarks associated with Rory. (Full disclosure... I'm the one interviewing McAvoy) Streaming: Squid Game Netflix, Friday, June 27 Netflix's number one non-English language series of all time, Squid Game returns for its third and final season on Friday. Gi‑hun (Lee Jung‑jae) returns wounded, vengeful, and ready to dismantle the Squid Game empire from within. He will be forced to make some important choices as he and the surviving players are thrust into deadlier games that test everyone's resolve. With each round, their choices lead to increasingly grave consequences. TV: Glastonbury 2025 BBC, Friday-Sunday, June 27-29 The cliche goes that the best way to experience Glastonbury is on your couch rather than in the usually muddy field of Somerset with over 250,000 people. Neil Young (his set won't be televised), Olivia Rodrigo (who played Dublin on Tuesday), and the 1975 headline, but the act everyone is talking about is Kneecap. It's unlikely their set will be shown on Saturday, however. Coverage begins on BBC Two at 5pm, while Kneecap's set on the West Holts stage is scheduled for 4pm to 5pm. Comedy: Dara Ó Briain Live at the Marquee, Sunday, June 29 It's a busy weekend of comedy in Cork, with Jarleth Regan doing a second night at the Opera House on Friday and Katherine Ryan playing a sold-out show there on Saturday. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Dara Ó Briain returns to the Marquee with his latest tour, Re:Creation, about the search for his biological father. Like the story itself, expect to be taken on a laugh-filled journey by one of the best standups around. Read More Tom Dunne: My six favourite albums of 2025 so far
Extra.ie
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
LISTEN: Christy Moore releases new track for Michael D. Higgins
Christy Moore has released 'Music to Our Ears', a spoken word tribute to President Michael D. Higgins. The track, written by poet Johnny Broderick and produced by Gavin Murphy, celebrates President Higgins' life and legacy as he enters the last months of his second and final term in office. The tribute will also feature on the extended edition of Moore's No.1 album A Terrible Beauty , set for release later this year. Speaking on the project, Christy said: 'I think it is a beautiful tribute to our esteemed President and His Family. I think Johnny B's words express what many of us feel about Michael D. and, Our First Lady, Sabina.' The tribute is the latest show of respect and admiration between Christy Moore and President Higgins. In a heartfelt message celebrating Moore's 80th birthday earlier this year, President Higgins praised the singer's decades of service to music and culture. 'Through your music, you have lent voice to those often unheard, bringing to the public discourse the concerns, hopes, and struggles of ordinary people with extraordinary empathy and dignity,' he said. He also described Moore's voice as 'one of the most distinctive and enduring in Irish life,' commending his 'profound sense of justice' and his grounding in 'the values of community, equality and solidarity.' Reflecting on a visit to Aras an Uachtarain, Moore once wrote: 'Encounters with Michael D. over many decades have always been memorable. Meeting him again as the elected President of Ireland was a particular pleasure. There was a feeling of having a true 'man of the people' in Aras an Uachtarain.' President Michael D. Higgins, a former Hot Press columnist from 1983 to 1993, will step down from his role later this year after serving the maximum of 14 years in office. You can check out the lyric video for 'Music To Our Ears' below:
RTÉ News
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Christy Moore releases spoken word tribute track for President Michael D Higgins
Irish music legend Christy Moore has released a spoken word tribute to President Michael D Higgins. Music to Our Ears, written by poet Johnny Broderick and produced by Gavin Murphy, is a celebration of the life and legacy of Ireland's President in the last year of his tenure. Speaking of how the work came about, Moore said: "I was working in Gavin Murphy's Studio. Gavin shared music he was composing for a poem John Broderick had written in advance of President Michael D's departure from Áras and Úachtaráin. I read the poem and listened to the music. I offered to recite the words. Claddagh [Records] heard it and suggested we make it available to the public. "I think it is a beautiful tribute to our esteemed President and his Family. I think Johnny B's words express what many of us feel about Michael D. and our First Lady, Sabina." President Higgins was elected President of Ireland in 2011 and is currently serving his second term. Moore has released Music to Our Ears alongside a lyric video to accompany the powerful tribute. It opens with the lines: "There is an aura that surrounds you, with decency you are blessed. There is a warmth in your presence, for every welcome guest." It continues: "You are a voice for the voiceless, like thunder in the plain. An empathetic ear for the afflicted, selfless, humble, but never vain." Music to Our Ears concludes: "Statesmanlike and diplomatic, charismatic without fears. You are a national treasure treasured, you have been music to our ears." The track will feature on the extended edition of Moore's No.1 album A Terrible Beauty.
