Dear Reader - Are you a tenor? Read on if so…
The Big Thing
Eamonn Mullarkey walked into Connolly’s one Monday night - it must be nearly ten years ago by now. He asked Seamie and I could he sing a Pogues song.
He had that look about him - he could have been in the Pogues (!) - and Seamie and I knew this could go either of two ways.
He would be one of these guys who loved Shane McGowan and really wanted to sing his songs but couldn’t…or he would nail it.
And he did!
But in a way that I had never heard before.
If you closed your eyes it could have been Shane singing. The tone, the pronunciation, the attitude. Uncanny!
Eamonn sang once with us on a Theme Night a few years ago and I have been following his career since. This unique talent has brought him to many interesting places and situations - I last saw him in the Knocknarea Arena a year ago guesting with the Sharon Shannon Big Band.
Shane was of course one of the great poets of Irish Popular Music, so it’s fantastic that Eamonn can join us for the first Theme Night Social show of the year.
Sat Sept 19th Art Deco Theatre
Sun Sept 20th Hawk’s Well Theatre
Where else but Sligo?
Once again Sligo did itself proud this weekend.
I had the honour of being asked to play some music at the Relay For Life event in the ATU. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout and thanks firstly to Donal Cunnane, Eoin Troy and Gerry Grennan for answering the call and bringing their skills to the stage for an hour or so.
Aileen Concannon was with us also - it’s always so nice to accompany Aileen - she did a fantastic job on Wind Beneath My Wings during the Candle of Hope Ceremony.
And a big shoutout to drummer and Theme Night Academy member Jack McDonald who at 16 played like a pro and caught whatever we threw at him!
Thanks also to Theme Night regulars Mimi Lee and Annette Rafter McDonald who joined us for a song,
Finally - and most of all - congrats to everyone involved. What a fantastic event and a wonderful way to honour so many people - so thank you to Monica McElhinney and the organisers for having us.
It was a pleasure to be part of it.
What’s New?
We need two tenors for our choir for the upcoming Theme Night Social shows…
You would need to be available on the evening of Wed Sept 16 and then on the afternoon and evening of Sat Sept 19 and Sun Sept 20.
And to do your homework!
Finally…
What a song!
Till next time - Kieran.
