www.clancybrothersfestival.org

Paul Brady will headline The Clancy Brothers Music and Arts Festival 2011 with a concert at The Strand Theatre on Sunday, June 5 in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.

Paul Brady, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is one of Ireland’s most enduringly popular artists. Born and raised in Strabane, Northern Ireland, learning to play the piano pretty much by ear, trial and error, his early heroes were Jerry Lee Lewis, Winifred Atwell and Fats Domino. By the age of eleven he had begun to play guitar, spending hours of his school holidays learning every tune the Shadows and The Ventures recorded, every lick Chuck Berry played. Mid-teens saw him take summer jobs playing piano and guitar in Bundoran in nearby County Donegal. But it was around 1965 in Dublin, at college, that he began to develop as a singer and performer joining a succession of R’n B / Soul bands including The Inmates, The Kult and Rootzgroop , covering the songs of Ray Charles, James Brown, Junior Walker and blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Chuck Berry.

The 60′s in Dublin saw the renewal of interest in Irish traditional music and gave birth to the first wave of Irish ballad groups like The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners and The Johnstons. Soon Paul became swept up in this current and joined the latter band with whom he recorded seven albums. Moving with The Johnstons in Jan ’69 to live in London and later in ’72 to New York City, he returned to Dublin in 1974 to join Planxty, the premier Irish folk band of the early ’70′s.

The next few years saw him establish his popularity and reputation as one of Ireland’s best interpreters of traditional songs. His versions of great ballads like Arthur McBride and The Lakes Of Pontchartrain were definitive and are still being asked for by audiences today. 2010 saw Paul releasing his 14th solo album, ‘Hooba Dooba’ to widespread acclaim; with Hot Press editor Niall Stokes saying ‘This is by far Paul Brady’s most assured and deepest album since the seminal Hard Station. But give it time: we may yet conclude that he has finally eclipsed that extraordinary record’.

Also featuring on the extensive music programme of the festival is ‘ROCK ON THE SUIR’ an outdoor concert featuring Mundy and Paddy Casey. A variety of music busking competitions, Concerts, Workshops, Drama, a Children’s Parade, Free Family Fun afternoons, Lunchtime Theatre, Sporting Events and an Art Trail for all ages and tastes all feature as part of the festival programme.

Opening the festival on Thursday, June 2 is Mary Clancy; Mary will host an evening concert at The Brewery Lane Theatre at 8pm entitled “from Carnegie to Carrick with the Clancy Brothers” including a ‘Friends of Brewery Lane Variety Concert’.

The Art Trail featuring well over 100 local artists, students, photographers and craftworkers commences on Friday, June 3 at nine venues throughout the town of Carrick-on-Suir and Carrick Beg culminating in an exclusive ‘River Suir Inspired’ exhibition at Ormond Castle; the art trail will run throughout the festival weekend with many Art Exhibition venues opened on the Bank Holiday Monday June 6. A  ‘Taste of Local Handmade Crafts’ will also take place on Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5 at T. O’ Keeffe’s on William St across from the Nano Nagle Centre & uncover our local talented craft workers as they showcase their latest collection of innovative hand-crafted goods in celebration of the year of the craft.

The Clancy Brothers Music and Arts Festival will be held in Carrick-on-Suir from June 2 to 6, 2011 and is generously supported by Failte Ireland, Tipperary County Council, the Arts Council, South Tipperary Enterprise Board, Tipperary Leader Partnership, Tipperary Arts Office and Carrick-on-Suir Business Association.  ‘ROCK ON THE SUIR’ tickets priced at €22.50 plus booking fee are available nationwide at Xtra-Vision stores or on www.ticketgroup.ie .Locally from Clery’s Newsagents and The Strand Theatre and Carrick-on-Suir Heritage Centre further information can be found on www.clancybrothersfestival.org or by contacting Carrick-on-Suir Heritage Centre on 051 640 200.