Sixmilebridge Folk Club announces new concert schedule after three-year absence
FOLLOWING Covid-enforced hiatus, the committee behind Sixmilebridge Folk Club has regrouped and announced details of a series of upcoming concerts at Gleeson's Bar in the town.
Renowned for organising the very successful annual Shannonside Winter Music Festival and a calendar of eclectic concerts throughout the year, the activities of Sixmilebridge Folk Club were adversely affected by the pandemic resulting in the sound of music in the village being silenced.
All that is set to change over the coming months.
The first of the concerts will take place on Friday, February 10, at 8pm. Featuring Mark Donnellan, Brian Donnellan and Michael Landers, the concert will be led by fiddle player Mark Donnellan from Kilmurry, who picked up his music from his father Francie, one of the original members of the Tulla Céilí Band.
Announcing the regrouping of the Folk Club committee and the return of concerts to the village, the chairman of Sixmilebridge Folk Club Gerry Phelan said: “The pandemic forced us to disband but we are now delighted to be able to reorganise concerts and to keep the ethos of the Folk Club alive. The Club was formed over twenty years ago to promote live music locally through active engagement with local and visiting musicians and audience members as equal partners. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for community appreciation and participation and to facilitate local and visiting musicians of all genres and musical ability to learn and perform.
“The concerts are the start of our plans going forward. We also hope to reintroduce weekly music classes, but we need additional committee members to help us achieve our goals. We would encourage anyone from Sixmilebridge who has an interest in music and would like to contribute to the full revival of Folk Club activities to attend our first concert on Friday, 10 February and make themselves known to any of the committee members."
The concert in Gleeson’s Bar commences at 8pm with doors opening at 7.30pm. No advance booking required. A small cover charge of €5 to cover costs applies.