MUSIC Shamrock Hooley on eve of St Patrick’s Day

Irishtown hosts Shamrock Hooley


Going out
Michael Commins

ONE of the biggest line-ups in Bourke’s of Irishtown for a long time is expected to attract a full house to the popular venue on next Tuesday night, March 16, the eve of St Patrick’s Day. It will be dancing and cabaret all the way as the Shamrock Hooley captures the quintessential nature of the Irish spirit.
Matt Keane and his full band will headline the night. The Caherlistrane man comes from one of the most respected families in Irish music whose influence has stretched to America and other lands. His daughter, Orla, whose debut album will shortly be released, is also on the bill.
Making her first ever appearance in Irishtown will be the young singing sensation from Co Cork, 19-year-old Annmarie O’Riordan, who is destined to become one of the biggest names on the circuit. She is currently undertaking her first American tour, with concert dates in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Massachusetts.
Lisa Stanley, who starred in ‘Music and Memories of Maisie McDaniel’, a tribute in song and story to her late mother, staged in the Hawkswell Theatre in Sligo last Saturday night, is thrilled to be on the bill in Irishtown.
Lisa has just released a new album in tribute to her late mother who passed away in 2008. Maisie McDaniel was truly the first Queen of Irish country in the 1960s and toured with Jim Reeves and Cliff Richard. She hosted her own television series, ‘Jamboree’ and  ‘Hootnanny’ on RTE. Maisie and her husband, the renowned accordion player Fintan Stanley from Louth, toured extensively around Ireland, the UK and the USA.
Also on the Irishtown bill are Orlaith Keane (daughter of Matt), Gary Quinn, Mike Stewart, Maria and Shane Fahey and Colm Naughton.
The Rambling Rogues have also been confirmed – a local four-piece group comprised of Michelle Rattigan from Irishtown, Paul Clesham from Garrymore and Maria Hughes and Sharon McCabe from Hollymount.
There is huge interest in this show, and it should prove a popular attraction as it ties in perfectly with the eve of St Patrick’s Day. Tickets are €15 and are now available from Bourke’s lounge and McManus’s shop in Irishtown; Smyth’s shop, Main Street, Claremorris; The Gem in Ballyhaunis; and Quinn’s in Tuam. Also available at the door.