Liam Ó Maonlaí is paying Kilkenny fans regular visits these days and we welcome him with open arms.
This weekend he is taking to the back theatre in Cleeres where he will woo his fans with his mult-instrumental programme of music and his dulcet tones.
He is appearing on Saturday April 16 at 9pm and tickets are available at the bar.
Recently Liam has been working on composing a soundtrack for a forthcoming John Carney film. He also appeared in the live production of Man of Aran in December 2010.
Born in 1964 in Dublin, he is one of Ireland’s best-loved musicians and singers, both in rock and traditional music. Spanning over 20 years, Liam’s career has seen him have number one hits in over 20 countries, and he has played with Aboriginal musicians in the Australian outback.
He has also recorded with some of the world’s best musicians including Carlos Nunes, Donal Luney, U2, Rolf Harris, and Van Morrison.
A master pianist, Liam also performs on guitar, harp, tin whistle, and bodhrán. He recently played in the Hole in the Wall in Kilkenny to a select audience who were mesmerised by his raw and intimate performance.
Bono once described Liam as “The best white boy soul singer in the world”, and he has also been been described as one of Ireland’s best sean nós (traditional Irish ) singers.
All through the Hothouse Flowers years, Liam remained faithful to his traditional roots.
“Traditional music does not belong to me. I belong to it. The same as the land,” he has been quoted as saying.
“I believe the style known as sean nós carries a sense of the soul of the land and the people who are awake in that land. I feel, when in the company of other cultures, the singing of this style opens a window into what it is that connects us. Every country has it's own sean nós.”
He plays Cleeres this weekend and tickets are €20 and are available from the bar.
