IT TOOK an Englishman to write one of the finest, and most poignant songs, about Irish emigration. That man is Ralph McTell, and that song is 'From Clare To Here', and next month he will mark his special relationship with the country.
Ralph McTell will mark '50 years on the road in Ireland' with a nationwide tour taking in Dublin, Belfast, Derry, Cork, Sligo, Kilkenny, Ratoath, Ennis, Wexford, and Galway. The Galway show takes place in the Town Hall Theatre on Wednesday October 26 at 8pm.
This year has been a busy and successful one for Ralph, having performed at the Royal Command Performance’ at London’s Royal Albert Hall, his debut at Glastonbury, and the release of a new album, About Time, with guitarist Wizz Jones. He also collaborated with The Dubliners' John Sheahan on a new song, ‘The GPO and PS’, inspired by the 1916 Rising.
A prolific and gifted songwriter, known for his virtuoso guitar style, McTell's words and music weave narratives of depth and compassion, most famously in his classic 1974 song ‘Streets of London’, for which he won an Ivor Novello Award. In 1993 Nanci Griffith recorded Ralph’s ‘From Clare to Here’ on her Grammy Award winning album, Other Voices, Other Rooms, and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
On sale at tour venues will be a special DVD of Ralph McTell’s 70th Birthday Concert at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, featuring more than two hours of footage with Ralph joined by John Williams, Tony Visconti, Graham Preskett, and Danny Thompson.
Tickets are availavble from the Town Hall Theatre on 091 - 569777 or www.tht.ie
