Feakle Folk Club has been revived with two concerts remaining on the cards this month.
A passing thought in conversation between East Clare based music broadcasters Paula Carroll and Ruth Smith back in 2018, went along the lines of “what about running a Folk Club in Peppers of Feakle”. Then in 2021 the pair was delighted to be in receipt of a grant from the Live Performance Support Scheme and immediately put plans in place for Feakle Folk Club which commenced in September of this year.
Their thinking behind reviving Feakle Folk Club was primarily to showcase all that is great in folk music in Ireland today and to create something special in Feakle, where both women live.
They also took inspiration from their careers as music broadcasters, Ruth as presenter of RTÉ Radio One’s popular weekly radio show, ‘Simply Folk’ and Paula Carroll as presenter of Clare FM’s ‘West Wind’ programme every Wednesday night.
Both Paula and Ruth were keen to link the exciting resurgence of folk music in Ireland today with the Folk Revival world that existed in East Clare 50 years ago. Building on that legacy and creating a platform for the music of present day performers and music lovers alike, they have created an atmosphere where artists love to perform because they feel cherished, a venue where music-lovers know they will hear great music and an environment that’s a welcoming mix of locals and visitors who have travelled to hear the music.
Peppers Marquee is the venue for the concerts, drapes and lighting create an intimate folk club atmosphere while social distancing is also facilitated.
Cork singer/songwriter Ger Wolfe opened the Folk Club last month and this was followed by Dublin folk singer John Francis Flynn accompanied by fiddler Ultan O’Brien.
This Friday (October 8th) is a sell-out and it sees the Dingle traditional singer Pauline Scanlon perform with the jOHNGalway singers and members of the Whileaways, Nicola Joyce and Noriana Kennedy (sold out).
On the final night of the Feakle Folk Club, (October 22nd), Connemara sean-nós singer and harpist Síle Denvir comes to East Clare with her musical and life partner Barry Kerr on vocals, uileann pipes and flute, tickets are available from www.eventbrite.ie
