West Cork’s, Clonakilty International Guitar Festival returns this September 10th – 19th for its 17th iteration, as organisers attempt to once again electrify the streets and crash the internet of the coastal town with the sweet sound of those six strings.
“We can’t cram like sardines into every nook and cranny of Clonakilty as in previous festivals, so we’ve expanded the length of the event by three days. This way we can continue to honour the depth and diversity of approaches to guitar playing that has been the bedrock of CIGF since our first event back in 2005.” – Festival co-organiser Ray Blackwell
For 10 days, the festival promises to do what they always do: celebrate the virtuosos, the three-chord heroes, the freak-out noiseniks and the bedroom noodlers. Joined by some of Ireland’s most exciting and innovative independent musicians, the festival will stage outdoor performances, virtual premieres and hybrid gigs (live-streamed with an audience).
The programme includes:
John Spillane who earlier this year released “100 Snow White Horses”, described by Folk Radio’s John O’Regan as “A masterclass of eloquent romanticism…”.
Our current Artist of the Month, John Francis Flynn (recently interviewed here), whose debut album “I Would Not Live Always” was described as “bracing, unpredictable and without a doubt one of the most deeply affecting folk debuts of recent years” by Folk Radio’s David Weir.
Another relative newcomer is Dani Larkin who, earlier this year, released ‘Notes for a Maiden Warrior’, an exciting and confident debut that Billy Rough described as an album of “vitality and irresistible energy which is impossible not to be swept up in. A striking debut, effortlessly succeeding in captivating the heart, as well as the ear.”
Clare Sands (main image), a Cork-born sixth-generation fearless fiddler, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has been entertaining us recently in a series of collaborations for a four-part series, titled ‘Tírdreacha agus Fuaimdreacha’ (Landscapes and Soundscapes). Her performances possess a brilliant energy that’s both irresistible and refreshing as she traverses a path where Irish and English languages, Traditional, Folk, and Contemporary music meet.
The programme also welcomes Windings, Pretty Happy, Kyle Macaulay & Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine, Red Sun Alert and many, many more. There are also virtual premieres of work from Eve Clague, Lonely and the Moose as well as two Folk Radio favourites: Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke and Myles O’Reilly.
Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke recently released their Half-Light EP, described by Mike Davies as brief but assured and a deeply enticing snapshot of how their two talents intermingle to form a single cohesive vision. They also recently shared an exclusive insight into each of the songs on the EP here.
Myles O’Reilly should also need no introduction, a superb filmmaker whose first love of music led him to explore his own ethereal ambient musical creations recently after borrowing a Moog. Performing under the title of Indistinct Chatter he also recently collaborated with Rónán Ó Snodaigh’s (Kila) new album Tá Go Maith.
Explore the full programme at www.clonguitarfest.com
Tickets for in-person performances will go on sale at 10am Friday 27th August via www.clonguitarfest.com
And a new addition this year is the Guitartown Cinema – a roving outdoor cinema that allows audiences to experience the online festival in a way that recreates the communal atmosphere of pre-pandemic gatherings.
All of the festival’s events have been prepared in compliance with current health and safety measures.
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