As long-time readers might guess, I don’t get out much. So an invitation to come down to Dublin to meet Pauline Scanlon and Eilis Kennedy, aka Lumiere, provided a rare opportunity to put some trousers on and leave the house.

Although Pauline has already released a couple of well-regarded albums and Eilis Kennedy has several independent releases under her belt, it is a novelty in this day and age to see a major label like Sony take a punt on two traditional singers.
The partnership, it transpires, dates back much farther than you might have imagined. In the early ‘90s, Eilis Kennedy ran a pub in Dingle where people would go to play, sing and maybe even drink the occasional pint.
It was there that a young Pauline Scanlon first performed in public, and where she also became aware of the vocal abilities of her eventual partner in crime.
Having collaborated on and off for years, it occurred to both of them that they preferred singing together than on their own. And the results, as found on Lumiere’s debut album, are nothing less than breathtaking.
Most memorably, Damien Dempsey lends a vocal to their version of ‘The West’s Awake’, a song which appears to be quickly becoming something of a calling card for them. In contrast to the normal machismo swagger that the song is delivered with, the Lumiere version is notably contemplative and even Damien’s contribution is more softly sung than his normal delivery, harking back perhaps to the more tender moments on Shots. Make sure you check out the album when it hits stores in early September.
Also putting out a new album, on his own Tallaght Records label, is tin whistle player Gavin Whelan. He will be launching In Full Flight with a gig in Whelan’s on Friday October 1, when he’ll be inviting along a few special guests. You can also catch him at Feile Frank McGann in Strokestown, October 8 to 11, at which he’ll be leading workshops and recitals on the instrument.
Before that, you should really take yourself along to Whelan’s on Saturday September 26 where you’ll be able to experience the, well, experience that is Kinky Friedman.
Not satisfied with being a successful and hilariously funny country-rock singer – songs include ‘They Don’t make Jews Like Jesus Anymore’, ‘Asshole from El Paso’ and ‘Get Your Biscuits in The Oven And Your Buns In Bed’ – he has also run for governor of Texas. He didn’t win, although by all accounts it was a close-run thing. Staunchly opposed to the death penalty, he famously summed up his position: “I am not anti-death penalty, but I’m damn sure anti-the-wrong-guy-getting-executed”.
He has also written a number of detective novels, and pens a regular column in the Texas Monthly. He counts both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush amongst his friends, and he has been name-checked in a Joseph Heller novel (Good As Gold, if you’re interested).