Salthill’s own Aoife Mulholland returns to Galway to take centre stage at Leisureland on Friday, December 12, for A Swingin’ Little Christmas – a big-band celebration promising Hollywood sparkle with hometown heart.
The West End star joins The Niall Kinsella Orchestra for a festive evening of classics ranging from ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Santa Baby’, to ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.
For Mulholland, this concert is more than a seasonal showcase, it is a homecoming. Raised in a deeply musical family in Salthill, she grew up surrounded by performers at her grandparents’ Hilltop Hotel. She had her first professional gig aged 14, and went on to study music at UCD, before earning a Masters in Musical Theatre from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.
Her breakthrough came on the BBC’s How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, where she placed fourth out of 10,000 hopefuls. The West End quickly followed, with standout turns as Roxie Hart in Chicago, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde, along with performances at the Royal Albert Hall and National Concert Hall.
Now based in Dublin, Mulholland continues to work across theatre, concert and television, but her return to Galway carries a special resonance. Joined by swing specialist Matt Ford, award-winning barbershop quartet 4 in a Bar, and conductor Niall Kinsella, she brings star wattage back to where it all began.
Tickets €25, with concessions €20. Family ticket €80. Doors open at 6.30pm and seating is unreserved. See www.MusicForGalway.ie
