Latest news with #RóisínDubh
RTÉ News
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Fans to gather to mark 20th anniversary of unveiling Phil Lynott statue in Dublin
Thin Lizzy fans will gather in Dublin this August to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the unveiling of a statue dedicated to the memory of the band's late front man Phil Lynott. The 2.4 metre bronze commemoration of the singer was unveiled on the city's Harry Street, off Grafton Street, on 19 August 2005 on what would have been his 56th birthday by Lynott's late mother Philomena. It was an emotional day and marked the culmination of many years of hard work for the woman who had dedicated her life to her son's memory and legacy. On the day, she said, "I'm the proudest woman in the land." Sculpted by Paul Daly, the statue was erected outside Bruxelles Bar in 2005 and hundreds turned up to witness the unveiling. It was commissioned and paid for by the Róisín Dubh trust, which was set up to commemorate the life and work of the singer, who passed away aged 36 in January 1986. The unveiling was also attended by Lynott former Skid Row band mate Brush Shiels and guitarist Gary Moore. The statue has since become a Dublin landmark and a site of pilgrimage to rock fans from all over the world. On 23 August, The Phil Lynott Convention will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the day, with events starting at 1pm with an open invite to gather at the statue to sing and read poetry. There will also be a visit the city's Rock and Roll Museum for a guided tour of their Phil Lynott collection. There will then be music and stories in The Halfpenny Bridge from 4pm and live music at The Grand Social on Liffey Street from Swedish band Philomania, who have been playing Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy music since the 1990s. The line-up also includes Rory Gallagher tribute act Deuce and Thin Lizzy tribute act Falling Hazard, who will be recording a song especially written for Phil Lynott and the forthcoming rock opera The Warrior. in 2013, the Phil Lynott statue was knocked from its plinth and damaged by two men, who later presented themselves to gardaí in relation to the incident. It was also damaged by a motorist in 2015.
Irish Independent
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Legendary singer Mary Coughlan holds surprise pop-up gig at Galway International Arts Festival
The Galway native appeared in the festival garden alongside guitarist Ultan Conlon for surprise performance at around 1pm and played a mixture of new and old songs, including Lumberjack, Free Fallin' and Delaney. The crowd continued to grow as news spread of her performance, with familiar faces arriving to the garden's stage to welcome one of Galway's singing heroes back to her old stomping ground. The pop-up gig occurred one week shy of Mary's first-ever gig at the festival's Heineken Big Top on Wednesday, July 23. Ahead of the gig, she spoke to the Irish Independent of her excitement and the growing nerves as she prepares to play for a huge hometown crowd. '[I'm feeling] an awful lot of excitement because it's so huge and I know that the class of '72 and '73 are all coming to it, all of them that are left. That's the group I did my Leaving Cert with and the year below. 'I think, collectively, they were involved in convincing the Arts Festival to put seats into the tent this year. They got 400 phone calls to see if they could put seats in, they put them in and then they sold 1,000 tickets in the following few days,' she laughed. 'All of us old people want to sit down, I have to stand up, so I didn't really care. Anyways, we're doing good. We're expecting a lot of the older crowd that I hung around with in Galway. 'I'm very nervous about Wednesday night. There are an awful lot of people coming and I know they'll be expecting a lot – they'll get it as well.' Hailing from Galway, Mary naturally has a bank of memories from her time growing up on Ashe Road in Shantalla, which helped to inspire her latest album, Repeat Rewind, released in October 2024. In her early career, Mary battled with alcohol addiction and has remained sober for 33 years. During that period, she says she used to rhyme off the names of Shantalla's streets and the people living in the nearby houses – which inspired name of the album, Repeat Rewind. Mary also credits Galway city with hosting her most 'special' gig at the infamous Róisín Dubh late-night venue in 1995, with the recordings from the shows used to create her 1996 album, Live in Galway. 'I begged the Roisin Dubh to give me a gig and they said, 'Alright Mary last time you were here you nearly fell off the stage'. I said 'I'm sober now nearly two years', and they said they'd put a small sign behind the counter. 'They rang me a few days later and said, 'We've sold out seven nights and one matinee – will we call it a day at that?' And I said 'OK'. Then I brought in a recording rig, Erik Visser, my producer from Holland, came over with a big band and it became Live in Galway.' A long-time supporter of GIAF, Mary has seen the festival grow since it was first launched in 1978. She says she is excited to attend some of the gigs and performances during her stay in Galway, including Mikel Murfi's solo show Oh …, which will take place in the main tank of Galway Atlantaquaria. Having seen the festival in its earliest stages, she fondly remembers her early involvement in the GIAF and notes the magnitude of its growth since its inception. 'I was driving Paul Durcan around schools, he was reading poems. We had a couple of Brian Bourke's paintings up at the county buildings office down on Dominick Street, a couple of gigs at the university that Ollie Jennings put on – and that was the arts festival. 'John Crumlish [GIAF CEO] said to me it's outlasted all of the people who gave it money at the beginning, and three or four of the banks that funded it. It's still flying.'
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
June bank holiday in Kildare: Five must-do activities for the long weekend
In Co Kildare, there are an abundance of events and activities, perfect to keep the family occupied. To help make your June bank holiday planning a little easier, here are our five top picks for what to do over the bank holiday weekend in Kildare. What's De Craic? Irish music festival When: Saturday May 31 – Sunday June 1 Kildare's Irish music festival, What's De Craic, is returning to the county for another year. On Saturday May 31, The Whistlin' Donkeys will headline, with The Dublin City Ramblers, Róisín Dubh, Zak Moran (Acoustrix) and Danny Carthy also set to perform. On Sunday June 1, The Tumbling Paddies are the headliners with performances from George Murphy & The Rising Sons, The Finns, Seán Magee and Katelin Tierney also performing throughout the day. The festival is being held at the North Kildare Sports Club in Kilcock, Co Kildare. Tickets are available on the What's De Craic music festival website. Gordon Bennett Irish Classic Run 2025 When: Friday May 30 – Monday June 2 The Gordon Bennett classic car run takes place over the June Bank Holiday weekend and travels through the counties of Laois, Carlow and Kildare, all three of which were chosen for the original 1903 race called the Gordon Bennett Cup which was the first international motor race to be held in Ireland. This historic route now runs through many interesting and scenic locations including in Kildare. On day three of the car run, Sunday June 1, the drivers will arrive in Co Kildare. Departing from Treacys the Heath in Co Laois at 11am, the cars will retrace the steps of the 1903 Gordon Bennett Race with stops in Athy. From Athy, the car run will travel to Kildare Town for a street party hosted by the Cill Dar Car Club. On day four of the event, Monday June 2, the cars will return to the Kildare countryside after driving through Co Laois. Once the car run arrives in Kildare, they will head to Monasterevin where there will be a street festival and a tea party held in the town. For the full itinerary and a map of the full Gordon Bennett route showing what locations the vintage cars will be travelling through in the three counties, you can visit the Gordon Bennett Classic website. Lovestock When: Saturday May 31 – Monday June 2 Lovestock, a mental health and wellness festival, is coming to Booleigh in Co Kildare this June bank holiday weekend. This unusual festival combines Irish culture, music and heritage, with mental health and wellness. Some of the musical acts set to take the stage over the weekend include Paddy Casey, Ciara Lawless and Jack Keeshan, among much, much more. There will also be a Therapy Tent hosting a variety of events such as fire walking, mindfulness and yoga/mantra and singing. Meanwhile, in the Thoughts & Talks Hut, there will be intro to herbalism, intro to beehives and intro to trauma, along with many other talks. For the full line-up of events for 2025, you can visit the Lovestock website. The Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens The Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens is the perfect way to get out and about this June Bank Holiday weekend. It is the only stud farm in Ireland open to the public and offers visitors a chance to get up close to the stallions in the paddock or even spot a foal with its mother. Aside from the horses, the tranquil oasis that is the Japanese Garden is also an amazing place to visit with its colourful flowers and plants and babbling streams with plenty of picture opportunities. Kildare Farm Foods, Open Farm and Shop Kildare Farm Foods, Open Farm and Shop is located just a short drive away from Kildare Town and makes the perfect day out for the whole family. The Open Farm is free of charge to visit and is home to a wide variety of animals including camels, an ostrich, Emu, goats, pigs and much more. You can also pay to take part in other activities such as playing a round of mini golf or visiting the Teddy Bear Factory. Make sure to book online in advance if you want to take part in these activities. There is also a café onsite offering breakfast, lunch and tasty snacks.
