Saturday 21
Kíla
National Stadium
Kíla's gala festive concert will include support from Afrobeat Collective, Yankari, and plenty of theatrical treats including giant puppets, dancers and trapeze artists.The theme of the night remains a secret as do the special guests. Fittingly, Fr Peter McVerry will be the band's guest of honour this year.
Friday 27
Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair
Various venues until January 1
This year's winter school opens with an exhibition of Barry Kerr's paintings, titled Music for Anything. As well as copious music workshops, this year's programme is packed with a very strong mix of visitors, including Julie Fowlis and Zoë Conway, John McIntyre and Éamon Doorley, who will play music from their latest acclaimed release, Allt.
Bríd Harper, Tony O’Connell, Paul Meehan and Lisa Butler have come together with their new group Uaine, and will premiere their diverse repertoire at the winter school, and Dervish will gamely host the legendary New Year’s Eve party. Piper Louise Mulcahy will present a lecture on the topic of women pipers 1800 – 1900, and the recently reunited fiddle trio, Fidil, will rev up to showcase the remarkable tune collection they’ve included in their recent album, Decade. All in all, nirvana for lovers of Irish music from Tyrrellspass to Tokyo and all points in between.
Friday 27
Greenshine
DC Music Club, Camden Row
Noel Shine, Mary Greene and their daughter Ellie are a contemporary folk trio whose repertoire includes a raft of exceptionally well-written original material, including The Girl in the Lavender Dress and Dandelion Seed. Ellie's contralto voice is a particular delight, as are the tasty guitar picking touches they bring to their music. The DC Club is the ideal venue to savour this trio's customary intimate performances.
