‘Spice Girls of trad' on their role as ambassadors for Culture Night 2025
When Lisa Canny, the founder of the all-female trad supergroup Biird, got a call to perform alongside Ed Sheeran at the Fleadh Cheoil, she and her bandmates had just wrapped up after performing at All Together Now over the weekend.
Canny and her all-female trad collective band – often tagged as the Spice Girls of trad – have become one of Ireland's most talked-about acts of the last year. They are fresh, fierce and wildly talented, with an energy that has shaken up the trad scene.
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Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
First Festival, Last Festival, Dream Festival with Asha Ari
One week on from All Together Now and the weekend is still playing in our heads like a sun-drenched highlight reel — CMAT's stunning main stage performance, the late-night singalongs at Arcadia, that one set you stumbled upon and never wanted to leave. In between darting from stage to stage, we found ourselves tucked away at the Jameson Circle Stage, where the vibe was equal parts laid-back hangout and high-octane entertainment. Over a crisp Jameson, Ginger and Lime and the thump of bass in the background, we traded stories about muddy fields, unexpected headliners, and the shows they still daydream about with some of Ireland's top acts. In between darting from stage to stage, we found ourselves tucked away at the Jameson Circle Stage, where the vibe was equal parts laid-back hangout and high-octane entertainment. Pic: Instagram/Asha Ari Between sets and the hum of festival wanderers, we sat down with Asha Ari, fresh from a sun-soaked acoustic set at the Circle Stage to play a quickfire game of First Festival, Last Festival, Dream Festival. 'So the first festival I ever did was Electric Picnic. I did a few different stages at it and I had a great time. Wasn't worried about sleep or anything, and it all went excellent.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Asha Ari (@ashaarimusic) 'My last festival was actually Forrest Fest. Yeah. So that was quite fun.' ' My dream festival would be Coachella for sure, and just to be cutting shapes on the stage and just working it. I love the fashion there as well, so it would be nice.' 'I think carrying loads of drinks, 'cause I just see like them falling and that gives me anxiety. But I do it anyway. Another festival ick would be like when people are starting the mosh pit. I've been stuck in a mosh pit before and the soles of my shoes have come off. So they kind of scare me. But I might try one this year, maybe.' We traded stories about muddy fields, unexpected headliners, and the shows they still daydream about with some of Ireland's top acts. Pic: Instagram/Asha Ari Following last year's success, Jameson Connects: The Circle returned for the fourth consecutive year, from 31st July to 3rd August, continuing its commitment to unearthing some of Ireland's most exciting up-and-coming talent. Over three days, more than 20 acts stepped into the spotlight, swapping songs, stories, and, in our case, festival daydreams. If this year was anything to go by, we'll be talking about these sets long after the tents come down.
Irish Independent
18 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Biird star Lisa Canny recalls ‘bonkers' gig with Ed Sheeran at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann
The Mayo woman and some of her bandmates joined Sheeran, Amble, Beoga and Aaron Rowe in a surprise gig in Wexford town during the ongoing Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Large crowds flocked to the Sky and the Ground on South Main Street when news of Sheeran's presence filtered through the town, which is expected to welcome 750,000 people over the course of the eight-day traditional Irish music festival. There, he treated the small, intimate crowd to a number of his biggest hits, including 'Nancy Mulligan' – which was inspired by his grandparents – 'Castle On A Hill', 'Galway Girl' and 'Perfect'. He was also accompanied by the groups for a rendition of the well-known Irish folk song 'Wild Mountain Thyme'. The gig had been planned by Warner Music weeks in advance with what were described as 'M16 level preparations'. Speaking on Newstalk, BIIRD founder Lisa Canny described the gig as 'bonkers'. Mr Sheeran wore the band's signature white jersey which the band have sold as merchandise. Ms Canny founded BIIRD earlier this year with a large group of other female traditional Irish musicians, including fellow Mayo woman, Sal Heneghan. 'We just came off the main stage at All Together Now on Sunday and sure we were dying a death on Monday and then had to go down to Wexford on Tuesday to hop on a song with Ed Sheeran,' explained Ms Canny, who hails from Hollymount. 'It was surreal, we haven't really taken it all in yet but he was an absolute dote,' added the renowned harpist and banjo player. 'There's no airs and graces about him whatsoever, he was as sound as could be. He came up and literally sat down with us and asking about our plans and offering us advice and help and gave us contact details. He's sound, sound as could be.' Mr Sheeran was born and raised in Yorkshire but spent a lot of his time in Ireland as a child.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside Mel B and Geri Halliwell's turbulent relationship with ‘night of passion' after star skipped wedding
Mel B previously expressed her heartbreak when Geri left the Spice Girls nearly three decades ago TOO MUCH Inside Mel B and Geri Halliwell's turbulent relationship with 'night of passion' after star skipped wedding AS THE two feistiest members of the Spice Girls, things were always going to be turbulent between Geri Halliwell and Mel B. Ginger and Scary Spice's fiery relationship came back into the spotlight recently when Geri, 53, skipped Mel's wedding. Advertisement 7 Over the years Mel B and Geri Halliwell's relationship has been a hot topic of conversation Credit: Rex Features 7 Mel claimed that her and Geri shared a 'night of passion' Credit: Getty - Contributor 7 Ginger and Scary were always the feistiest of the Spice Girls back in the day Credit: Getty The Spice Girls burst onto the scene in 1996 with five fresh faced young women all hoping to become stars. Along with Geri and Mel, the band was formed of Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham (formerly Adams) and Mel C. With nicknames like Ginger, Scary, Baby, Posh and Sporty they were an instant hit after releasing the very catchy tune, Wannabe. They were immediately catapulted into superstardom, and soon became household names around the world thanks to songs like Too Much and 2 Become 1. Advertisement But behind-the-scenes, the band was often plagued by reports of "in-fighting" and "creative differences" - mainly between the girl group's feistiest members, Geri and Mel. Here we take a look at Ginger and Scary's relationship and how it's played out over the years. GERI LEAVES THE SPICE GIRLS In 1998, just two years after the Spice Girls had been propelled to international stardom with Wannabe, Geri announced she was leaving the band. At the time, she said she was quitting because of 'creative differences' and also impact of being in the supergroup was having on her mental health. Advertisement Writing in her 2002 memoir Just For The Record, Geri said: 'One thing that was clear at the time I decided to leave was that inside Ginger Spice, underneath the make-up, the big hair, the giant platforms and the headline-grabbing dresses, there was a real girl and she was being suffocated." The news of Geri leaving the band on the eve of their US tour starting, hit the other Spice Girls hard - especially Mel. Mel B stuns in white gown at star-studded St Paul's Cathedral wedding Previously speaking on Loose Women, Scary Spice candidly said: "When Geri left the group, it was bad. "She left on my birthday and didn't tell anybody. Advertisement "She didn't show up. We had the American part of the tour to continue." Elaborating further on the impact Geri's sudden Spice Girls departure had on her, Mel told Piers Morgan's Life Stories: 'It bothers me because we're so solid and we know each other inside out, us five girls. 7 Mel was left heartbroken when Geri suddenly quit the Spice Girls Credit: Getty - Contributor 'We would take a bullet for each other. Advertisement "So it was devastating to me that she felt so bad about herself and her situation that the only way out was just to leave and not talk. 'I still remind her of it. She was round yesterday and I said to her, 'Why did you leave? Really, why did you leave?'' During the Spice Girls mini reunion in 2019, Geri admitted that she regretted leaving the group. Speaking on stage, she told fans: 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left. I was just being a brat. Advertisement "I want to say it's just so good to be back with the girls that I love." CREATIVE DIFFERENCES Being the loudest members of the Spice Girls, there were always rumblings of creative differences between Geri and Mel. This appeared to come to a head during the 2019 reunion. According to sources, the pair began bickering about the creative direction of the tour, right from the outset. Advertisement Mel reportedly wanted to re-market herself as a "more sexy and edgy star", while Geri wanted the band to head into a more "wholesome" direction. Before the tour kicked off an insider told The Sun: "The gigs will go ahead whatever happens, but those two couldn't be more divided and both see themselves as the boss. "Everyone involved is braced for some epic arguments once they're back together.' 7 Geri was left unhappy following Mel's claim that they slept together Credit: Getty Advertisement 'NIGHT OF PASSION' It could be said that Mel and Geri's relationship never truly recovered after Scary's claims that they had once had a "night of passion" together. The bombshell claim came during Mel's interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2019. Before this time, there had never been any mention of a "romp" between the two women. But pressed by host Piers, she admitted: 'She (Geri) is going to hate me for this because she is all posh in her country house and her husband, but it's a fact. Advertisement 'It just happened and we just giggled at it and that was it. 'We were best friends. Have you ever done that?' And she added of Geri: 'She had great boobs.' Piers asked: 'So just once?' Mel replied: 'Yeah.' Triumphant Piers added: 'This is a bombshell. A Spice Girls bombshell. You have never admitted this before have you? People are going to be fascinated.' Advertisement Mel said: 'Yeah and I have said it now. All done. She is going to kill me and so is her husband.' She added: 'Hopefully when Geri gets asked that, which hopefully she will after this, she won't deny it, because it was just a thing, a fun thing.' 7 It was reported that Geri and Mel's relationship never fully recovered after the bombshell sex claim Credit: Reuters Speaking to Aussie radio station 2Day shortly after she made the claim about herself and Geri, Mel said: "I couldn't even speak to your producer earlier because I was on the phone with Geri. Advertisement "I did the interview, but I just texted her and said: 'I admitted on Piers that we had a little bit of a thing but don't worry about it, it was all tongue in cheek and I didn't go into detail.' "'I said: 'This was pre your husband, pre your baby, pre one of my babies. It's fine.' I don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about it." She added: "We had a long conversation. She texted me the night of [the interview] and then we spoke at length today - amongst other things cos we're getting ready for tour right now." However, Geri reportedly was fuming with Mel, with her spokesperson stating at the time that the claim was 'simply not true' and 'very hurtful' to Ginger's family. Advertisement Geri's husband Christian Horner was also said to be 'mortified' by the claims. 7 Geri was a no show at Mel's recent wedding to Rory McPhee Credit: Splash SKIPPING WEDDING Now rumours of a "reignited feud" between Ginger and Scary have remerged after Geri skipped Mel's wedding. She hasn't given a reason why she was not at the ceremony last month, which saw Mel wed Rory McPhee. Advertisement It should be noted that she wasn't the only Spicey to miss the wedding, in fact, Emma Bunton was the only one who could make it. However, what was different with Geri was she completely ghosted the whole event, and unlike the other Spice Girls, failed to congratulate Mel on social media. The silence was deafening with reports of a "feud" between the pair emerging once again. All eyes were then on Geri to see if she would be at Mel's second wedding to Rory last weekend in Morocco. Advertisement Sadly, Spice Girls fans were left disappointed as Ginger was a no show once again.
