Latest news with #ChristyMoore
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Bumper programme announced for 2025 Mallow Arts Festival
The band who are renowned on the live circuit for their high octane performances will be bringing their brand of punk folk energy to Mallow for the annual arts festival. The punk-folk outfit are an anarchic mix of drums, bodhrán, whistles, punk poetry, songs and beats. Initially a solo project, Wasps vs Humans punk poet/drummer, Carl Antony Plover has shared the stage with some of Ireland's and UK's well-regarded performers including Christy Moore, John Cooper Clarke, Whipping Boy and a daring opening set for The Fall. As a musician, he has released an album and single with 4,000,000 Telephones to critical acclaim in the UK national press and he also made the playlist for the John Peel BBC Radio 1 Show. Having partnered up with musician wife, Linda Plover, WvHs have honed a distinctive punk/folk sound over the last eighteen months, whilst promoting their debut album, 'Scratchcard Empires'. The album, released in October of last year, features singles such as 20 million Andrew Tates, Price You Pay, and Ugly America. The doors at Kepplers Cellar Bar will open from 9pm for the performance. The 2025 Mallow Arts Festival which will be held from July 23 to July 27 is an annual festival celebrating live music, literature, art, film and everything creative. Acclaimed musician and mental health advocate, Niall Breslin, will also be bringing his unique and thought provoking live show to Mallow. The Irish musician who is also known as Bressie will be performing in St James Church, Mallow on Saturday, July 26. ADVERTISEMENT This show which combines the power of storytelling with music will have a special appeal to those invested in mindfulness and mental well-being and provides a thought provoking and moving experience. Other highlights from the upcoming festival include Sweep Down To The Sea on July 24, Scullion on July 25, Kieran Goss and Annie Kinsella on July 27. A creativity writing and wellbeing workshop for teens will also be held on Saturday, July 26 at 11am, while a yoga class will be held in the serene surrounds of Mallow Castle on Saturday, July 26 from 10.30am to 12 noon. Other highlights include the launch of Mary Bradford's new book which will take place on Thursday, July 24 at Mallow Library and a drama workshop with Geoff Gould. There are lots of great highlights for people of all ages in this year's 2025 Mallow Arts Festival.
The 42
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The 42
Roy Keane ad and RTÉ boss miss the point as League of Ireland fans drive culture change
THIS WEEK'S EUROPEAN games were a timely reminder of a vibrant and inclusive fan culture in the League of Ireland. Just a few days after the national broadcaster's head of sport showed a glaring blind spot for a cultural shift in the game in this country, supporters of Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic provided a colourful and loud example of how it is growing from the bottom up. It's an organic rise led by young match-going supporters. An hour or so before kick-off at Richmond Park last night, the sound of hundreds of St Pat's fans marching up Emmet Road chanting for their team reverberated around that corner of Inchicore. The game was a 2,500 sell-out, the capacity reduced due to Uefa restrictions on terraced areas in the Uefa Conference League first-round qualifier. Such support came at a time when Pat's hadn't won a game since May and had scored just one goal in over 10 hours of football. The tifo display – inspired by Christy Moore's Joxer Goes to Stuttgart – that covered two stands was fantastic, and followed on from a similarly impassioned arrangement at Tolka Park on Wednesday night when Shels beat Linfield 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League first-round qualifier. The noise, the organisation, even the JJ Lunney song to the tune of Lady Gaga's song 'Paparazzi' were examples of a fan culture that is thriving. Yes, even without Damien Duff. Advertisement A European Night in Inchicore. 🔴⚪️🟡 The March, The Display and the Atmosphere. Thank you to everyone that was involved and to those that bought a t-shirt in support! — Shed End Invincibles (@SEI2001) July 11, 2025 The rawness and the originality of what League of Ireland fans are producing around the country is what those promoting the game here should be tapping into. Rockshore's recent television ad with Roy Keane fell flat [insert your own Diageo-related joke here] because such personalities, even a former Cobh Ramblers players who remains a regular visitor to Cork, are not the connection fans crave. Even little things within that ad irked, like the radio announcer's declaration that 'while the football might be over in England, back home it's still all to play for.' The 42 reported last month that RTÉ spent in the region of €50,000 to show the first leg of Shels' tie with Linfield. That cost is understood to have been split between the match fee – estimated to be between €15,000-20,000 – and production costs which would have included the VAR system in operation. Declan McBennett is the man who makes the decisions when it comes to sport at RTÉ and in last weekend's Sunday Independent he sought a right of reply to a critical column in a previous edition. A lengthy interview followed, and there would have been a time when some of his comments caused a lot more anger or concern for those who value the League of Ireland. But not anymore. Not since 16 January, when The 42 confirmed that Virgin Media had trumped RTÉ by putting together a package for four years that would guarantee one televised game per week. That was despite RTÉ putting out a press release beforehand stating they would show Premier Division while negotiations were still taking place and no offer had even been submitted. 'It wasn't a commercial thing. We weren't in a position to do 36 games. It didn't make sense for us,' McBennett said, before he was asked directly whether there was a public service requirement to do so. 'We were disappointed to lose the League of Ireland. The clubs ultimately decided to go with the 36. The wisdom of that decision…' The answer trailed off. It was August last year when we detailed some of the issues relating to TV coverage. McBennett might have hinted that it was unwise for clubs to want one game a week throughout the season rather than sporadic fixtures and lengthy gaps in the schedule, but sources have confirmed that every one of the games shown by Virgin so far this season have had well over 5% of audience share. That's an important figure because, as explained last year, that is the minimum TV viewership threshold which must also be met as 'under EU Regulations, member states are allowed to designate certain sporting and cultural events as being of major importance to society and to ensure that they are available on free to air television service on a live or deferred basis'. RTÉ did not show one League of Ireland club in European action last season – including Shamrock Rovers' run to the knockout stages of the Conference League – so prior to Wednesday's televised game, the Hoops' tie with Breidablik in July 2023 was the last game shown in Europe by the broadcaster. The average audience was 100,000 with a reach of 378,000 and secured an 11% share. Shelbourne fans on Wednesday night. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO TV figures for last season in the Premier Division also increased by 42% on 2023. At the time of publication today RTÉ had not responded to a request for the audience figures for Wednesday night, and while they will not broadcast the second leg in Windsor Park the national broadcaster did at least confirm a new two-year deal in May to broadcast the FAI Cup. It will see RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player show six games for the first time in this season's competition and seven during 2026. Related Reads Bohemians are a financial monster in League of Ireland and will only get stronger Losing the LOI's top scorer for €30,000 shows measures clubs must take just to keep up From chasing new signings to calling it quits - Damien Duff resigns at end of dramatic week Perhaps that is a more palatable amount to deal with in a packed schedule of rights for RTÉ, especially as earlier in that Sunday Independent interview McBennett provided a far more enthralling answer to the role of RTÉ in showcasing Gaelic games given criticism that has come his way on how those matches are divvied up. 'Sport is very expensive. But for RTÉ, specifically with regard to the GAA, there is something more important than the commercial return, which is the public value,' he said. 'This is our game. This is our DNA. It should never be a plus and minus in the euro columns in terms of we pay for this and therefore we must make this back. I think there will always be a public service remit that says this is beyond simply financial terms.' That's a revealing assessment of how the most powerful man in sports broadcasting distinguishes between his responsibilities to the two biggest sports in this country. There are thousands who feel the League of Ireland is part of their DNA, and that number is only going to grow as those on the ground drive a culture change for the game.
Irish Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Singer-songwriter Mickey MacConnell dies aged 78
Mickey MacConnell, the singer-songwriter and former Irish Times journalist, has died aged 78. MacConnell described himself as having been born during the 'unparalleled snowstorms of 1947″ into a musical family from Bellanaleck, near Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh . He wrote his most famous song, Only Our Rivers Run Free, as a teenager. A lament for the partition of Ireland, it has been covered by Christy Moore and The Wolfe Tones , among others. 'It was a classic example of the right song in the right place at the right time, recorded by the right artist, Christy Moore,' MacConnell said years later. READ MORE 'I was 17 when I wrote it and had just come back from covering a council meeting for the local paper in my native south Fermanagh full of frustration over the bigotry I witnessed in the meeting, with the allocation of houses to single Protestants over Catholic families. It was never a republican song per se but a song about the love of one's country.' MacConnell went on to release two albums, Peter Pan and Me in 1992 and Joined Up Writing in 2000. The Politician Song, which was on his first album, is a satirical look at the language used by politicians. His close friend Billy Keane described him as one of the finest and most courageous singers of his generation. As a journalist, MacConnell worked first for the Irish Press and later for The Irish Times. He spent many years covering Seanad debates and likened its importance to a 'fart in a hurricane'. 'When working as a journalist in Dublin I was forced to endure many painful hours reporting in the national parliament,' he wrote in the sleeve notes to The Politician Song. 'In those days I had a very good Pitman's shorthand note, and I began to notice how many cliches kept coming up again and again. I gathered them together and wrote this song.' Mickey, Cormac and Cathal Mac Connell at the funeral of their brother, Seán Mac Connell, at the Church of the Divine Word, Rathfarnham. Photograph: Frank Miller He was one of three brothers who worked in the national media: his late brother Seán was The Irish Times' agriculture correspondent; and his brother Cormac worked for the Irish Press and Irish Central, among other publications. MacConnell, who had lived in Listowel, Co Kerry, for many years, is survived by his wife, Maura, daughters Kerry and Claire, a son-in-law, Paddy, and three grandchildren. Seán MacConnell, who was The Irish Times' agriculture correspondent for nearly 20 years, predeceased him in 2013. Cormac MacConnell is also an acclaimed songwriter, having written the song Christmas in the Trenches 1914, which Mickey featured on his Joined Up Writing album. Mickey MacConnell will be reposing at Lyons Funeral Home, Derry, Listowel, on Saturday evening, July 5th, from 5pm to 7.30pm. The removal to Shannon Crematorium takes place on Sunday with a cremation service at 12pm.
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
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:
