IT IS not only fans of great songwriting and Irish folk who will be looking forward to this weekend’s activities in Campbell’s Tavern, Cloughanover, Headford, but also those who aspire to write songs and sing.
This weekend and next, Damien Dempsey, Noelie McDonnell, and US guitarist and songwriter Erin McKeown will be playing Campbell’s and giving workshops to the public as well.
The event, billed as the Cloughanover Folk’n’Trad Fest, begins today with Hothouse Flower Liam Ó Maonlai giving a lunchtime performance at Presentation College, Headford. Tomorrow at 9pm he plays a solo show at Campbell’s.
On Saturday Damien Dempsey will give a workshop in ‘urban folk songcraft, accompaniment, and ballad history’ at Campbell’s at 2pm (admission is €12 ), before playing a solo show at 9pm.
On Sunday, young trad band Gradá will play a show at 5pm. Gradá vocalist Nicola Joyce will join singer-songwriter Noelie McDonnell for a workshop on singing and songwriting. Date and location to be confirmed.
The brilliant Erin McKeown returns to Galway to play Campbell’s on Sunday October 26 at 5pm. Erin will give a workshop in Campbell’s on Monday 27 at 12 noon. At 9pm on that Monday, Steve Cooney, Mike McGoldrick, and Dermot Byrne will play Campbell’s.
The workshops and school events are part funded by the Arts Council under the Deis scheme.
For more information and tickets contact 093 - 35454, www.campbellstavern.net, or email [email protected]. For workshop enquiries phone 093 - 35454 or 087 - 9614715.