<img src='' title='Event Category: Music' alt='' id='templ_icon_' width='' height='' /> Event Category: Music

Sharon Shannon, Frances Black and Mary Coughlan are some of the most successful female artists Ireland has to offer and are no strangers to each other, having performed and recorded together as an integral part of the successful Woman’s Heart albums and tours. The three artists will play a set each with their own musicians, performing many of their greatest hits before joining each other on stage together at Cork Opera House to complete the night.

Sharon Shannon received worldwide recognition with the song ‘Galway Girl’ from the Hilary Swank movie, PS I Love You. Traditional Irish music is Sharon’s background, but she has been fearless in her musical exploration, having defied genres and woven her unique style through country, French-Canadian reggae, hip-hop, dance and classical. When Nanci Griffith called Frances Black “the sweetest voice of Ireland,” she was paying tribute to someone who has been one of Ireland’s best-loved and most enduring artists since the late 80s, with a string of best-selling albums, awards and other accolades behind her. The extent of Frances’ popularity and talent has been reflected in the awards and accolades that she has received for her albums and live performances.

Mary Coughlan is the only singer these shores have produced to rival the greatest of European cabaret and American jazz club blues because of one thing: her voice. She is unique in blending the whisky-blurred, smoke-seared, husky notes and laconic wit of Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee and the line of deep, down and dirty blues singers back to Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith with the sardonic, bitter-sweet defiance and despair of the Piaf chanteuse, born out of war, in the shadow of Brecht, at war with the world, men, and finally, herself.

A special celebration concert in their home county featuring special guests, this will be a night not to be missed featuring all the old hits and memories with a special tribute on the night to the late Dale Haze.

Gina, Dale Haze and The Champions formed in 1973, and the Cork-based band took the dancing scene by storm in the late 1970s and early 80s with 12 chart hit singles and several best-selling albums. The Band quickly became Ireland’s top attraction with record breaking attendances at dances and concerts. Amazingly, 50 years on the original Band members, Gina, Pat, Mossey, Eddie & Tony still perform together at sell out shows. 

Performing classic hits ‘Give Me back my Love’, ‘Dreams are Good Friends’, ‘Drunken Sailor’, ‘A Real Good Feeling’ and many more, Gina & The Champions are delighted to feature special guest Ronan Collins, as they pay tribute to the showband legends, Joe Dolan, Red Hurley etc. This is certainly a show not to be missed on this momentous occasion!

The great Country Rock band SMOKIE have emerged as one of the greatest and longest-lasting bands from the 70’s and 80’s. They continue to be in demand across the globe and are one of the most requested acts to appear in venues. Smokie return to Cork for another cracking show on Friday 29th September.

It’s hard to believe, but Smokie celebrated their 45th Anniversary in 2018 embarking on a world tour which saw them visit three continents and bring that distinctive Smokie sound to 19 countries around the globe. And in case you thought they would be tired and burned out? Well, not a bit of it! They have revelled in the challenge of bringing a new freshness and vigour to their classic pop hits.

The show will feature songs like ‘Something’s Been Making Me Blue’, ‘I’ll Meet You At Midnight’, ‘Don’t Play Your Rock ‘n’ Roll To Me’, ‘If You Think You Know How To Love Me’, ‘Wild Angels’, ‘Oh Carol’, ‘Needles and Pins’, ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’, ‘Mexican Girl’, ‘For a Few Dollars More’, the classic ‘Livin’ Next Door to Alice’, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ and many more – all of which were Top 10 entries around the world.

Goin’ Back, A Lifetime of Song will feature many of the great classics that Rebecca has made her own over the last twenty years, such as ‘Blue Bayou’, ‘The Winner Takes it All’, ‘A Woman in Love’, plus a string of show songs from classic shows such as Evita, Blood Brothers, The Streisand Songbook and many more.

The show will also feature for the first time Rebecca’s version of the great Carol King classic ‘Goin’ Back’, ‘it is a song I have always loved and as the years fly by it is very fitting for me, as I look back over my wonderful career. I am looking so forward to singing it’. Rebecca will be joined by her long time backing singers Mary Lowe and Allison Vard, and backed on stage by the brilliant Kenny and the Jets.

Gerry McAvoy played, recorded and toured with Rory Gallagher for 20 years, from 1971 to 1991, also playing on every solo album that the legendary guitarist released over the course of critically and commercially successful career. The pair recorded ten albums together during a prolific decade during the seventies, including two live albums, Live in Europe and Irish Tour ’74.

The Belfast-born McAvoy had previously been in the band Deep Joy, who had supported Gallagher’s first outfit, Taste, on several occasions. Another member of Deep Joy, Brendan O’Neill, went on to play as part of Gallagher’s live band and is also part of Gerry McEvoy’s current Band of Friends, along with Paul Rose and Jim Kirkpatrick.

McAvoy was the mainstay of Gallagher’s live band for two decades as it went through several changes, but working most effectively and more often with McAvoy on bass, Gallagher and a variety of drummers. He then played with Nine Below Zero for more than a decade before forming Band of Friends in 2012. 2005 saw the publication of his biography, Riding Shotgun: 35 Years on the Road with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero.

With special guests The Pat McManus Band.

After a break of three years, Aonghus McAnally is delighted to tour his Celebrating Christie Hennessy show once again. Having sold out the 2000 seater Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, the National Concert Hall, as well as venues all over the country, this is an opportunity to relive the life and music of Tralee’s finest son.

22 songs, including ‘Messenger Boy’, ‘Don’t Forget Your Shovel’, ‘Jealous Heart’, ‘All The Lies That You Told Me’, ‘If You Were To Fall’, and the iconic ‘Roll Back the Clouds’. A wonderful entertaining evening which brings the audience to its feet every night.

STRICTLY OVER 18s

Collaboration and shared experiences are at the heart of Sounds From a Safe Harbour. This year, with the help of Quiet Lights, SFSH has invited the Irish folk music duo Ye Vagabonds to interact and respond to the residency and host the festival finale Lighthouse Constellations, Ye Vagabonds with special guests from the SFSH/37d03d residency.

Ye Vagabonds are brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn. They grew up in rural Carlow but moved to Dublin in 2012 and became known on the traditional Irish, blues and folk scenes in the city, playing folk songs as well as their own original material. Their blend of harmonic folk music is influenced by traditional Irish and European music, American old time, and the music of the 1960s folk revival.