ENTERTAINMENT: Whileaways in Westport this weekend

Much-loved Galway folk band The Whileaways will be playing in Westport Town Hall Theatre this Saturday night, July 22, marking their third performance in the venue.
Three powerful forces in Irish roots music in their own right, Noelie McDonnell (vocals, guitar), Noriana Kennedy (vocals, banjo) and Nicola Joyce (vocals, baritone ukulele) combine to create a beguiling blend of harmonies, tradition and beautifully crafted original songs.
Since coming together in 2012 they have toured all over the world and been nominated for Best Group and Best Album in the RTÉ Folk Awards. The music press at home and abroad cannot get enough of them – describing them as ‘among the finest singers in the country’ (Hot Press) and their music as ‘profound and insightful, tightly woven, experimental, fresh and energetic’ (Irish Music Magazine).
The band are renowned for their live performances, whether that’s touring with their own material or with their much-lauded show Bird On The Wire, a collaboration with Pauline Scanlon exploring the songs of songwriting icon Leonard Cohen.
As an Irish Times reviewer put it, their music ‘hollers for a chance to be heard in a live setting, so rich is its lyrical tapestry’.