The Stables hosting Ireland's newest one day festival just before the fleadh

Well known Mullingar music venue The Stables is hosting Ireland's newest one day festival in The Showgrounds on the day before the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann gets underway.

Damien Dempsey and the Hothouse Flowers will be the headline acts at The Stables Live At The Showgrounds on July 30. Also on the line up is the alternative folk band, Moxie; fiddler and bilingual singer Clare Sands and local performers Paulie Martin, Ballynacargy singer songwriter Luke Price and Mullingar's Cian Thomas.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, the producer of the event Ethan Scally says that the line up was put together to complement the fleadh.

“With the gig being held before the fleadh starts, we really want to kick start that week with a big event. We think the line-up, which is Irish trad rock, is in a similar vein to the vibe and the atmosphere that is going to be in Mullingar for the whole week of the fleadh. It's a deadly line up and we just really want to kick start a brilliant week for the town of Mullingar.

“There are some die-hard traditional music fans who might think that Damien Dempsey and the Hot House Flowers are too commercial, even though I wouldn't see them that way, but we really think that this line up complements [the fleadh]. The Hot House Flowers, their music is Irish and traditional.

“Clare Sands her music is fiddle, banjo, guitar. She also has a bit of a movement. She has a track called the Awe na Mná. She has been making music videos on the beach with gatherings of people. It has been almost spiritual but quite community based as well. It taps into the whole communal aspect of the fleadh, which is very much about community and bringing people together.

“I do think the bands in our line up ,although it isn't absolute raw trad, are based around instruments used in trad music: guitar, bodhrán, flute, fiddle. All of that instrumentation is going to be evident in Damo Dempsey's music, in The Hot House Flowers, in Clare Sands and in Moxie, as well.

I really think that we have a really nice blend of modern and more sophisticated Irish traditional folk rock kind of music.

“It mightn't be to the taste of all of the people coming into Mullingar for the fleadh, but I think there will be a good crossover with some of the fleadh crowd and then all of the people in Mullingar who might not necessarily be die hard fleadh fans. I think it is a great event for them as well.

“We had a sold out event last year with 500 people [which was headlined by Aslan]. That capacity was limited due to coronavirus restrictions but this year we don't have that. The event itself should also be more free flowing. People won't be restricted in anyway. It's going to be a bigger and better event without any restrictions. It's going to be great for Mullingar.”

Tickets priced at €55.95, also includes a shuttle bus to and from the gig. For more information, click here.