ENTERTAINMENT: New open mic nights in Westport

Something special is going on upstairs at The Clock Tavern in Westport. On the last Friday of every month, musicians, singers, comedians, poets, spoken-word artists are making their way to the cosy venue – a lovely wood-panelled room with a bar and a view – to take part in that most time-honoured of institutions: an open mic night.
These free evenings of diverse entertainment are organised and hosted by Newport-based musician Patrick Dexter, the woolly-jumpered cellist who rose to fame playing outside his cottage during the pandemic, and Westport-based singer and performer Nan Fee, whose BaBushKa homage to Kate Bush has become the stuff of legend.
Chatting to The Mayo News recently, Genevieve McGing (whose family own The Clock Tavern) spoke about how magical these open-mic nights have turned out to be. Atmospheric, supportive and fun, they have attracted a wide range of artists, with everything from jazz to cabaret on the menu.
The next open mic will be this Friday, August 25, and anyone wishing to take part is warmly encouraged to email Patrick and Nan at westportopenmic@gmail.com.

More live music
The upstairs venue, which is branding itself Upstairs@TheClock (at times in conjunction The All Time Club), has become quite the spot for regular live entertainment, with top-notch acts like Liam Ó Maonlaí, Brendan Begley, Michael Gallen, Let’s Set Sail, Graham Sweeney, Patrick O’Laoghaire from I Have a Tribe, Gráinne Hunt and Richard Farrell having played there in recent times.
Downstairs also boasts a lively live-music scene, with weekly Saturday-early evening trad sessions from 6pm to 8pm, featuring Freda Hatton, Julie Langan and Declan Askin, plus guest appearances of many talented and well-known musicians, such as Coda, Mary Staunton, David Munnelly, Mick Giblin, Michael Lavelle, the McEvillys and Des Cafferky. There was a special guest appearance from Brendan Butler during Westport Bluegrass Festival and even a surprise visit from Sean Keane and Ériú. The trad session is open for anyone to join – including the youngest of players.
There are also regular Friday and Saturday night performances downstairs by the likes of local musicians Gary and Ciaran O’Malley, Work In Progress, Matt Rowley, Kian Chanter, The Kinseys, Finéinn Quinn, Sean Loughran, Caitdean, The Berry Brothers plus many more.
More gigs are in the pipeline too, with Indie Irish trio, Issac Jones, Henry Earnest and Passerby playing an Upstairs@The Clock gig on Monday, August 28, as well as singer-songwriter, Claire Hawkins on September 22.

Concert for Christina Noble
On September 8 and 9 September, The Clock Tavern will host a fundraiser concert, live music all weekend with all funds going to the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, featuring The BibleCode Sundays, Cronin, Frank McCafferky, Enda Molloy and many more. The two-day event will be free of charge, with any donations towards the charity greatly appreciated.
Westport is famed for its ever-burgeoning arts and live-music scene, and The Clock Tavern – upstairs and down – is certainly fast becoming one of the go-to venues on the town’s entertainment map. To keep up with what’s on every week, follow The Clock Tavern on Facebook and Instagram.