Kiltha River Trad Fest – Thursday 29th July – Sunday 1st August 2010

Comedian Pat Shortt called into the local radio station CRY here in Youghal yesterday (Tuesday 27th July 2010) to promote his own traditional music festival this weekend in Castlemartyr. The funny man was special guest on the Youghal @ 5 with Stanley Knott. Pat told YoughalOnline.com that he hopes to join the musicians on stage during the weekend and may even tell a joke or two!
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com Email: news@youghalonline.com

An accomplished musician with a particular grá for and interest in traditional Irish music, Pat Shortt has played, toured and recorded with many bands and loves nothing better than a good session. No better host, then, or venue for the inaugural Kiltha River Trad Festival than Pat Shortt’s Bar, in the pretty Cork village of Castlemartyr.

Kiltha River Trad Fest runs in the Marquee at Pat Shortt’s Bar, Castlemartyr, from Thursday 29th July to Sunday 1st August, in association with Guinness, and also sponsored by Castlemartyr Resort, GHQ Design, Ticketmaster, John & Geraldine McGrath and Host PR.

Pat’s pub has a long affiliation with some of very biggest names and best people in music, even up to and including the Rolling Stones, who appeared there back in 1965! The line-up for the Kiltha River Trad Fest is no less impressive, bringing together legendary traditional performers such as John Spillane, Frankie Gavin and the new De Dannan, Stockton’s Wing and the Abbey Céilí Band.

Kicking off proceedings on Thursday 29th July at 8 p.m. is John Spillane, twice winner of the Meteor Award in the best folk/trad category, who has toured the country and the world with his inimitable mix of melodic tunes, entertaining stories and poetic lyrics. His emotive tunes and dynamic, playful Cork wit mean John Spillane is not to be missed! Tickets, priced €18, are available through all Ticketmaster outlets (plus Ticketmaster booking fee where applicable) and directly from Pat Shortt’s Bar, as are tickets for all of the acts playing at the Kiltha River Trad Fest.

Legendary band Stockton’s Wing perform their exciting blend of traditional and contemporary Irish music and song on Friday 30th July at 8 p.m. Performing with power and precision, Stockton’s Wing from Ennis, Co. Clare, have enraptured audiences for decades and tickets cost just €20.00 for an unforgettable evening.

On Saturday 31st July Frankie Gavin & the new De Dannan take to the stage at 8 p.m. One of the genuine legends of Irish music, Frankie Gavin established the new De Dannan in 2009, assembling a group of fiercely talented performers, possibly the best incarnation yet, and he is really looking forward to performing at the festival: “we’re very excited about performing at Kiltha River Trad Festival. This is the first time the new De Dannan line up will perform in the region and we are already looking forward to it. I know that Pat Shortt has gone to great lengths to ensure that the entertainment and facilities for the festival goer will be top calibre and you can be assured that when we get to the stage we will raise the ‘bar’ as high as we possibly can!”. Tickets for this show also cost €20.00.

The Abbey Céilí Band play at 8 p.m. on Sunday 1st August. From Co. Cork, the Abbey Céilí Band started out in 1995 and consists of Ger Murphy (box), Micheal Creedon (keyboard), Liam Forde (banjo) and Andrew O’Connell (fiddle). This popular band now play all over Ireland and have received high praise for energetic, enthusiastic and exciting renditions of polkas, slides and other dance music. This band makes an immediate and lasting impression on the minds (and feet) of everyone who hears them. Tickets are just €10.00 and like all the Kiltha River Trad Fest tickets, are available from Ticketmaster (plus Ticketmaster booking fee where applicable) and directly from Pat Shortt’s Bar.

Pat Shortt’s Bar is an extraordinarily intimate space in which to enjoy some of the most entertaining and exciting traditional Irish music around. The inaugural Kiltha River Trad Fest could be like an early Rolling Stones concert as an event – the first in a long, illustrious series, and you can tell your kids, yes, I was really there!

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