STRINGS ATTACHED Harpist Laoise Kelly is pair up with Scottish piper Allan MacDonald for a special gig. Pic: Marianne Mangan
Matt Molloy’s, Westport, is hosting two top-class gigs with highly acclaimed musicians from two distinct traditional genres over the next week – one Celtic, the other American.
The first, which takes place this Sunday, August 21, sees Scottish piper Allan MacDonald will team up with celebrated local harpist Laoise Kelly for a fundraiser for the new Achill International Harp Festival (October 28-31). The second, which takes place on Tuesday, August 23, sees the legendary Foghorn String Band take to the stage in a much-anticipated return to the town.
Celtic notes
MacDonald, who has been described as ‘the single most important living source of Gaelic musical culture’, is spending time in Dooagh, Achill, where he is exploring the rich historical and cultural connections between the island and western Scotland. He is currently composing a suite of music to premiere at the Achill International Harp Festival.
Laoise Kelly’s skill and willingness to push the harp’s boundaries, bringing its particular sound alive in new ways, has won her fans and critical acclaim, both here and overseas. Her latest album, ‘Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh’, was launched in Matt Molloy’s last year.
For those who won’t be able to make the Westport show, the pair will also be performing together at 7pm on Friday, August 19, in the Beehive Café, Keel, Achill.
Stateside strings
On Tuesday night, the Americans take over Matt Molloy’s, when The Foghorn Stringband – dubbed the ‘shining gold standard for American string band music’ – take to the stage. For this group, roots and old-time music is as relevant today as it was a century ago. They see themselves not as revivalists, but as curators and ardent fans, and their music is a celebration of these traditions.
Their live shows see the band’s four musicians – Oregon-based Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, fiddle) and Reeb Willms (vocals, guitar), and Yukon-based Nadine Landry (vocals, upright bass) and Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind (vocals, fiddle, banjo) – gather around the one microphone, balancing their music on the fly, and playing with an intense, fiery abandon.
The Foghorn Stringband were among the headliners at the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in June, and their show in the Holy Trinity Church has already become the stuff of local legend.
Allan MacDonald and Laoise Kelly’s performance starts at 9pm this Sunday, August 19, while the Foghorn Stringband’s Tuesday gig starts at 8pm. Tickets for both gigs will be available on the door, on a first-come, first-served basis.
