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Kilfenora

Kilfenora

The Home of Traditional Ceili Music and The Gateway to the Burren

The Home of Traditional Céilí Music and The Gateway to the Burren

  • Home
  • About
    • About Kilfenora
    • History
    • The Burren
    • Music
    • Kilfenora Ceili Band
    • Father Ted
    • Kilfenora Timeline
    • Kilfenora Time Capsule
    • Farming
    • Sport
  • News
  • Events
    • Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2025
    • Festival concert – Máirtín O’Connor Band
    • “The Sounds of Kilfenora” project launch
    • Riches of Clare concert, Kilfenora Cathedral
    • Architectural Heritage of Kilfenora Cathedral – 25 June lecture
    • Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2024
    • Main concert – Kilfenora Trad Fest 27.4.24
    • Céilís and Riches of Clare @ Kilfenora Trad Fest
    • Celebration of Irish Dance in Kilfenora
    • CD launches at Kilfenora Trad Fest 2024
    • Dance and music workshops
    • Past Events
      • Kilfenora Trad Festival 2023
      • Heritage events in Kilfenora in August
      • Kilfenora Trad Festival 2022
  • Visit Us
    • Visit Us
    • Kilfenora
    • Kilfenora Cathedral & Crosses
    • Holy Well
    • Around Kilfenora
    • Walking and Cycling
  • Facilities
    • Facilities Overview
    • Resources
    • Accommodation
  • Kilfenora Community
    • Kilfenora Development
      • Kilfenora Development News
    • Kilfenora Tidy Towns
      • Kilfenora Tidy Towns News
    • Kilfenora Sustainable Energy Community
      • Kilfenora Sustainable Energy Community News
  • Find Us

News

Concert at Kilfenora Trad Festival 2023

A glittering array of talent will be on show at the main Saturday night concert (22 April) at Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2023. Tickets are €20, and available online here. You can also get tickets at Custy’s shop in Ennis, at Vaughans pub in Kilfenora, or phone Noel O’Donoghue on 0878364780.

The cast will be spearheaded by Órlaith McAuliffe, one of Irish music’s top flautists, with over 20 All-Ireland titles to her name and voted Young Musician of the Year in the 2016 TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards. She will be accompanied by Daithí Gormley, All-Ireland button accordion champion in 2015, and leader of the Knocknashee Céilí Band; Dylan Carlos, All-Ireland Senior Fiddle champion in 2019; and Brian McGrath, pianist and banjo player supreme, perhaps the most in-demand accompanist in Irish traditional music, and who last played in Kilfenora in 2016 with At the Racket.  See below for brief biographies.

Orlaith McAuliffe
Daithi Gormley

In addition, we will feature three of the finest singers from Co Clare, who have all released wonderful CDs in recent times.

  • Katie Theasby, well-known for her flute and whistle playing, is a band member of Shaskeen and starred at the Temple Bar Trad Fest 2023. She has performed with artists such as Paddy Keenan, Stocktons Wing, Ron Kavana and Kinky Friedman amongst others. Her accompanists include Mike Hanrahan, Ger O’Donnell, Alan Wallace and Dave Saunders. The title song of her CD “I Remember You Singing” was gifted to her by Finbar Furey, with whom she has also performed.
  • Kathleen Malone, whose CD “My Island Home” also features her much-loved singer and musician father Jerry Lynch (RIP) as well as Eimear Howley; check out her facebook page for some lovely songs accompanied by Pat Dowling. All proceeds from the album go to Burren Chernobyl Project for which Katheen has long served as a volunteer.
  • Theresa Garrihy, classically trained but equally accomplished in other genres, and who had a great launch of her CD “Home” (also featuring Adrian McMahon, Rachel Reid, Pat Dowling, Martin O’ Malley) in Kilfenora in December.

And finally we will have a performance from an award-winner at the Meitheal Summer School, Emily Greaney on harp and concertina from County Galway. Having started playing at 6 years old she has progressed to tour internationally, for example with Dr Janet Harbison’s ‘Irish Harp Orchestra’ and on Joanie Madden’s cruises. Also a dancer, she has won All Ireland titles with the Abbeyknockmoy Set Dancers.

 

Órlaith McAuliffe is one of the leading flute and whistle players in Irish traditional music, holder of over 20 All-Ireland titles – at different age levels, solo and in duos and trios. She was voted Young Musician of the Year in the 2016 TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards. Raised in North London by parents from Killarney, she started under her mother’s tutelage on the whistle at 9 years old. She is now a regular performer and workshop provider at Irish music festivals, and has been a member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland and the band Crossharbour. She is also a medical doctor, working on the front-line in the NHS. She collaborates musically with many different Irish musicians, including her concertina player sister Brogan, who holds 4 All-Ireland titles.

Daithí Gormley hails from a highly musical family from Ballintogher, Co Sligo. Described by legendary accordion player Joe Burke as a ‘master musician’, he was All-Ireland button accordion champion in 2015, and leader of the Knocknashee Céilí Band that performed mightily over several years at the Fleadh Cheoil. He has taught and performed at music festivals and Summer Schools nationally and internationally, and has researched, published and lectured extensively on the history of Irish traditional music. In 2017 Daithí and Sligo fiddler Oisín MacDiarmada published the ‘Fiddlers of Sligo’ Tunebook. In 2018 Daithí released his first solo album ‘Fiddling without a Bow – Irish Traditional Music on Button Accordion’ to much acclaim.

Dylan Carlos comes from a very musical family in Co Roscommon – a part of the country best known for flute playing. Dylan collaborates with many musicians, within the Irish tradition and more broadly. He is part of the group “Carlos Sweeney McCartin” – their debut album (2019) garnered critical acclaim. Dylan is a past all Ireland winner on fiddle, plays and teaches regularly at festivals around Ireland and abroad, and has also played with the groups “Gatehouse” and “Garadice”.

Fermanagh-born pianist Brian McGrath is one of the most in-demand accompanists in Irish traditional music. His playing is influenced by the Irish American style of dance hall traditional music played and recorded in the 1920’s-40’s.  He is also an accomplished banjo and guitar player, as exemplified on his CD “Pure Banjo” (2009); he teaches both piano and banjo. He has toured extensively, playing with the biggest names in Irish traditional music – Frankie Gavin, Noel Hill, John Carty, Matt Molloy, Charlie Lennon, Joe Burke, Sean Maguire and many more – as well as singers such as Eleanor Shanley, Dolores Keane, Maura O’Connell and Tommy Fleming. Brian has also been part of many bands, including De Dannan and At the Racket (who played in Kilfenora in 2016).

Dylan Carlos
Brian McGrath

 

Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2023

The Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2023 will be held again on the weekend of 21-24 April.

This will be the 14th festival in a series that began in 2009 with the centenary of the Kilfenora Céilí Band. The festival is noted for great concerts and céilís, plus cracking CD launches, pub sessions and some music and dance workshops for beginners. It is intended to adopt a similar format to previous years with events and sessions on the Friday and Monday as well.

Events being planned include a concert on Saturday night @ 8pm with an array of great musicians and singers; a special night of dance and music on Friday @ 7.30pm; a céilí on Saturday night @ 9pm followed by the famous Trad Disco; and a Riches of Clare concert in Kilfenora Cathedral (Saturday @ 1pm).

Of course the highlight on Sunday will be the open-air céilí in the Square with the great Kilfenora Céilí Band.

Keep checking this website and the Festival facebook page for updates.

Kilfenora Players back on stage

After a long break the Kilfenora Players will return to the stage in the local community hall – on 2, 3 and 4 December at 8pm – with “It’s the Real McCoy”. This highly acclaimed comedy was written by Tommy Marren, a playwright and radio broadcaster from Co Mayo.

The action takes place over two days in the spring of 1964 in the humble abode of Madge Molloy – a woman in her mid-60s who has for 40 years wondered why her husband Tom, to whom she was married for just four months, disappeared without trace or reason.

The cast comprises John Howard, Paul Carkill, Willie Cahir, Mary Buckley, Lisa Carkill, Caroline O’Dea and Eileen Hegarty; the Stage crew is Mary McCormack, Michael O’Loughlin, and Pat and John Lynch. As always with the Kilfenora Players, under the direction of Fr Ned Crosby, this promises to be a great night of amateur drama.

Tickets – €10 (or €15 for a family) – are only available on the door on the night. So get there early to avoid disappointment.

For more details on Tommy Marren (pictured below) see here.

Tommy Marren

Linnanes pub – ‘end of an era’

The ‘end of an era’ was the widely shared comment on Sunday 2 October, which marked the end of a Kilfenora institution – Linnanes pub. Gerard Linnane retired after 30 years as a publican, passing ownership to Burke’s of Clarinbridge; their plans are as yet unknown.

Gerard hosted a massive music session to mark the momentous day, with 30 or more musicians aged from 8 to well past 80 playing over a period of 8 hours. The pub was packed all day as villagers and friends of Kilfenora gathered to mark the occasion. It was a both a joyous and sad occasion.

Colm Nestor brought many of his young trainees, as well as members of his Clare Céilí Band (having just launched their new CD), who all demonstrated their prowess in playing a succession of classic Kilfenora tunes.

They were joined by stalwarts of Kilfenora’s music heritage, including Michael Kelleher, Anne Rynne, JJ Conway, James Devitt and Siobhan O’Donoghue, as well as the younger generation such as Aine O’Donoghue, Aine Griffey and Caoimhe McMahon, and the ‘bouzouki section’ featuring Brendan Organ and Andy Lambert Great guest musicians from near and far in Clare joined in, among them Mike McGrath and Paul Dooley. And several local singers added colour, including Deirdre Scanlan.

Gerard has ensured that ‘Kitty’s Corner’ – named after his mother, the legendary Kitty Linnane, has been THE venue over decades to hear the distinctive sound of the Kilfenora repertoire. The walls echo with the memories of the great musicians of the Kilfenora Céilí Band over the years – Tommy Peoples, Jerry Lynch, Chris Droney, Paddy Mullins and so many more.

Colm Nestor and his young trainees
Michael Kelleher & Anne Rynne join the youth
The session expands
Michael leads the way
Not normally musicians!
The wider session
Anne and Brian
The teenagers take over
Deirdre Scanlan sings
James & Siobhan weigh in
All the way to the bar
Judith sings ‘Caledonia’
Paul, Fiona and JJ are in
Cas sings ‘Grace’
Michael lets rip on his Auld Triangle
More singing
Time for a chat
Ronan minds the bar

 

 

Kitty Linnane plaque unveiled in Kilfenora

A historic occasion took place in Kilfenora on Sunday 3 July 2022 when a plaque in honour of Kitty Linnane – pianist and leader of the Kilfenora Céilí Band for some 40 years – was unveiled at the family house in Kilfenora’s main street.


The plaque commemorates what would have been her hundredth birthday in December 2021. (Due to the pandemic the unveiling was delayed; she passed away in March 1993.)

There was a great gathering of Linnane family members as well as musicians, family friends and villagers to witness the event. The plaque was created by local musician and craftsman Brendan Organ.

Bobby Linnane speaks

John Morgan provided an introduction, followed by tributes and anecdotes provided by her son Bobby Linnane and by John Lynch, Kitty’s successor as leader of the Kilfenora Céilí Band. A vivid picture was painted of a great musical pioneer, and also a powerful force for good in sustaining the Kilfenora community. Such was her influence that she could telephone the President of Ireland Patrick Hillery (among other dignitaries) and bring them to Kilfenora to launch the rebuilt Community Hall.

John Lynch remembers Kitty Linnane

Afterwards there were refreshments provided in Linnane’s pub with a cracking session with some of the musicians in attendance, including Bobby Gardner, Seamus Hynes, James Devitt, Antóin Mac Gabhann, Anne Rynne, JJ Conway, Michael Kelleher, John Joe Tuttle, Siobhan O’Donoghue, Francis Droney, Andy Lambert and Judith Lynch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kilfenora Heritage Day

National Heritage Week is planned for 13-21 August 2022, and all communities in Ireland are invited to submit plans for events and activities. The closing date to notify county councils and thus obtain promotional support is soon – 7 July.

This year there is a special emphasis in sustaining heritage into the future, and on biodiversity.

Plans are being sketched out for a possible day of events in Kilfenora, probably a Saturday, highlighting our local monuments, including

• the work done by the Tidy Towns Team to create a biodiverse garden by the Holy Well
• opening up our ancient cathedral for a day, potentially for an arts and crafts exhibition, and for a possible concert and entertaining lecture
• music and dance activities around the village, including at the Burren Centre
• guided walks and cycle tours around the village and local area.

The intended audience is not just visitors but members of the community, by ensuring that what we do is entertaining and informative even for locals. We have so much to be proud of.

If you are a community member and have a suggestion for an activity, and/or are willing to help in any way, please send an email to [email protected] or leave a note asap addressed to Kilfenora Development at O’Gorman’s shop, preferably with your phone number included.

Also if you are an artist or craft maker and wish to have items displayed (and potentially sold!), please write in asap as above.

We need replies by 6 July at the very latest in order to inform Clare Council about what is planned.

Other villages and bodies will no doubt be putting together plans, so let’s try to make what Kilfenora has to offer really stand out!

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News Items

St Patrick’s Day in Kilfenora

Kilfenora play 28-30 March 2025

Bus service – controversial changes proposed

Emergency Response Hubs in North Clare following Storm Éowyn

Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2025

Clare Outdoor Recreation plan – what does Kilfenora want?

A new community space?

National Heritage Week in Kilfenora 2024

Honouring Fr Ned’s service

Kilfenora graveyard survey starts Saturday 6 July

Kilfenora Trad Festival 2024 Programme Download

Kilfenora Town Hall meeting, Tuesday 23 April

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"Kilfenora, city of the crosses, home of céilí music"
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"Kilfenora, city of the crosses, home of céilí music"

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