www.tompaxton.com

The US Folk legend returns to the UK for a short tour to visit old friends and promote his new album ‘Comedians and Angels’ scheduled for release on January 21st, 2008. Tom Paxton’s songs are known and loved around the world, ‘The Last Thing On My Mind’, ‘Ramblin’ Boy’, and ‘Bottle of Wine’, just a few of his truly timeless works. His generosity to both audiences and fellow musicians is renowned, and his passion for justice and the ties that bind people together is unwavering. For all this and more, Tom Paxton ranks as one of the most revered musicians of his generation.

January 2008
18 The Anvil Theatre, Churchill Way, Basingstoke, Hants
19 Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London
21 Glasgow City Hall, Candleriggs, Glasgow, Scotland,
22 The Lowry (Lyric Theatre) Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford
23 Sheffield City Hall (Memorial Hall), Barkers Pool, Sheffield
25 Birmingham Town Hall, Victoria Sq, Birmingham
26 Huntingdon Hall, Crowngate, Worcester
27 St Georges Hall, Great St George St, Bristol

Of his forthcoming album ‘Comedians & Angels’, Tom says, “The album is made of songs of love. I am about to turn 70 and I find that my definition of love songs is broader than I once would have found it to be. Still, there is love in them all.

Main Concert January 12th, 2008
www.jimmymchugh.com

Glasgow’s Irish traditional music new year is welcomed in with the 8th Jimmy McHugh Memorial Weekend. It always promises something special both on stage and in the sessions which happen on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons and for most of Saturday night. This year’s headliners are two of New York’s finest exponents of the tradition in Brian Conway and Felix Doran. The concert will also feature Micheal O’Raghallaigh (concertina, Co Meath), Allan MacDonald (bagpipes/singer, Scotland), Maggie Boyle (Singer, London), with more headliners to be confirmed. Also attending to this year’s concert are Eileen o’ Brien, Deirdre Mc Sherry, Denis Ryan, The Kinsella Family and many more.
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www.atlantairishmusic.com

Set your Calendar reminders for the weekend of February 2nd and 3rd for the Annual Atlanta Irish Music Competition. This year the adjudicators are Kate and Jode Dowling (flute and fiddle) and Elliot Grasso (pipes) and the competition will again feature solo and group competitions for all ages.

The weekend will begin with a session and dinner on Friday night, competitions at Alpharetta High School on Saturday followed by an evening concert and more sessions with workshops on Sunday. Registration opens online on December 1st; however, the rules, directions, lodgings information and so on are posted in a pdf handbook available at www.atlantairishmusic.com

This has been a very successful competition. Also the weekend attracts traditional Irish musicians from throughout the Southeast to share music, play tunes and generally have a good time.
More details at www.atlantairishmusic.com

Féile Ealaíon Chontae an Chabhán
www.cavanmusic.com

What Is Nyah
Nyah derives from that specific word we use to describe what makes traditional music so unique. Lift, Soul, Feeling, no other word quite captures th essence of great traditional playing, dancing or singing quite like nyah.

Where is it
Clare has Willie Clancy. Donegal has the Frankie Kennedy. Now Cavan has the NYAH, the County’s very own and a very unique traditional music festival. Nyah takes place in nine towns & villages throughout Co Cavan. Cootehill, Belturbet, Cavan, Virginia, Milltown, Kilnaleck, Mountnugent, Blacklion and Ballyjamesduff.

Some Highlight Dates:
Wed 5th Farnham Arms, Cavan, Session
Thur 6th Backyard Arts Centre, Moynehall, Cavan
Entire schedule of events, including contacts, ticket bookings etc can be perused in detail by logging onto the website www.cavanmusic.com or contact
Martin Donohoe Tel: 086 2342270

www.cic.ie

Connemara Publishing Company, Cló Iar-Chonnachta has been awarded €10,000 for the Irish-language book of the year for ‘Mise an fear ceoil’: Séamus Ennis, Dialann Taistil 1942-1946, the travel diaries of piper and music collector Séamus Ennis, which was published in April. Cló Iar-Chonnachta was founded in 1985 by Micheál Ó Conghaile and is the largest private Irish-language publishing company in Ireland. The company is based in the Connemara Gaeltacht just west of Spiddal and has published over 300 books to date. Cló Iar-Chonnachta is also a traditional Irish music label, and has released over 150 albums.
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www.kila.ie

The Garden Wars (published Dec ’07) is a new collection of poems by Rónán Ó Snodaigh. Caught in the crossfire between bracken, bramble, gorse and garden escapees, these are Rónán’s eyewitness accounts of the ongoing seasonal skirmishes, love stories and undercover activities that take place daily in our landscape. This is a subject close to Rónán’s heart, as he spends a lot of time studying the sometimes subversive behaviour of certain species’ in his garden
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www.corasmyth.com

After ten years on the road with Michael Flatley and his shows, Mayo fiddler Cora Smyth has finally put together a solo album. “Are We There Yet?” due out in early February 2008, features mostly original tunes by Cora, inspired by those travelling years. The tunes are arranged on a multi- dimensional backdrop of influences from blues, funk, Dixieland, gypsy jazz and latin via Co Mayo through Manchester. Produced and arranged by her husband, Sean Horsman, this is a real marriage of styles.

The “Are We There Yet?” show features live music from the album complemented by projected animations, stills and a lighting design for a complete sensory experience.

To coincide with the release of the album, she will be performing at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow on the 2nd February 2008, followed by a series of concerts in Ireland:
Sat  16  Feb 2008 Town Hall, Galway
Tue  19 Feb 2008 Glor, Ennis
Wed 20 Feb 2008 Siamsa Tire, Trelee
Fri    22 Feb Backstage, Longford
Sat   23  Feb Dunamaise, Portlaoise

“One of the best shows in the Galway Arts Festival… “Are We There Yet?” was very much a fun, energetic and exciting journey”
Judy Murphy the Connaught Tribune

www.corasmyth.com
info@corasmyth.com
www.myspace.com/corasmyth

www.kila.ie

Brrrrr….. hello from chilly Dublin, December is around the corner and Kíla are back out on the road again to help get the Christmas cheer started, starting this weekend with gigs in Ireland and Spain; in The Stables, Mullingar, Dolans Warehouse, Limerick Thursday and Friday before they head off to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for the Womad festival on Saturday. They will also be playing in Galway, Cork, Dundalk, Callan, Kilkenny, Belfast and finishing with the big Christmas show in Dublin’s Tripod the next few weeks,  please come along if any of these are near you, tickets are selling fast for all shows so early booking is advisable.. full details below and at www.kila.ie/tour_dates/
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www.lukabloom.com
 
Tour Dates 2008
Since 1978, Irish singer songwriter Luka Bloom has produced a canon of fifteen critically acclaimed albums with songs from his catalogue covered by the likes of Moving Hearts and Christy Moore. Two of his compositions ‘City of Chicago’ and ‘You Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time’ have become standards performed by Irish, folk, roots and acoustic artists
throughout the world of music.
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www.leitrimcoco.ie

Thursday 22nd November at The Dock in Carrick on Shannon sees a special night to celebrate the music of Leitrim’s Ben and Charlie Lennon from Kiltyclogher. One of the best known musical families in Ireland, Ben and Charlie grew up with their father, uncle and granduncle playing fiddles and their mother playing piano, fiddle and accordion. They have had long and influential careers, well-known for their compositions as well as their unique style of playing.
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