Night of local folk music in aid of south westmeath hospice

Athlone’s Dean Crowe Theatre will play host to a very special night of music on Friday, January 30 (doors open 8pm) -  when five top local folk acts will be performing a mixture of ballads and folk songs, both traditional and contemporary.

Donations are being made to South Westmeath Hospice from the proceeds and there will be a raffle with some amazing prizes, from vouchers to Shannon Cruises.

The exciting line-up features The Two Tommies (Remembrance), The Skillet Pot (reunion), The Driftwood Manor and The Blaggards, who will all perform in the main auditorium, while the excellent Hickory Wind will provide the entertainment in the bar after the main concert.

The Two Tommies (Remembrance) will pay tribute to the late Tommy Henshaw and Tommy O’Connor, two local musicians who performed as the Two Tommies for many years, making themselves household names in Athlone in the process.

They are perhaps best known for the song, 'Athlone Town’ which is still regularly played in sessions across the region. Among their many accolades is that they were guests of honour to the then-Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, for the city’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Skillet Pot is a lively collective of local musicians featuring Paul Fogarty and brothers David and Billy Henshaw, on guitar, fiddle and banjo respectively.
This is a rare appearance by a band who are highly respected on themidlands scene and their reunion will be eagerly awaited by many.

The Driftwood Manor mix Irish traditional music and folk with a range of other influences and have released three albums since 2008 on a number of labels. The Athlone band, centred around Eddie Keenan and Neil Fitzgibbon, were voted one of The Irish Times’ Breakthrough Acts of the Year for 2011.

The band’s latest album, 2014’s Of the Storm has enjoyed exceptional reviews and received airplay on BBC Radio 3 among others.

Over the past two years, The Blaggards have quickly become one of Athlone’s most popular bands and have enjoyed enthusiastic responses from audiences across the country. Tommy Berry (banjo, vocals), Mike Dempsey (bouzouki, vocals) and Niall McHugh (guitar, vocals) perform a raucous mix of folk ballads with the three vocalists providing an almost Clancy Brothers-esque appeal to listeners. Audiences will enjoy the best of traditional Irish folk and ballads.

Performing in bar after the main concert will be Hickory Wind. For many years, the band have been firm favourites with Athlone audiences and are renowned for their excellent musicianship and exceptional repertoire of country songs. The band features Alan O’Neill (guitar and vocals), Sammy Rohan (double bass) and Mick Moylet (electric guitar) and will be bolstered on the night by Dave Clancy on pedal steel guitar and Jimmy Higgins on drums. Higgins will be familiar to many for his work with the likes of The Stunning and Christy Moore.

The MC on the night will be Joe McCaul and Athlone’s award-winning Poetry In The Park group will also be performing over the course of the evening. This will be an exceptional night of live music.

Tickets are priced at €10 and can be purchased from the Dean Crowe Box Office on 09064 92129 and through concert organisers.