Live Report: Nothing Compares concert at the Moat Theatre paid powerful tribute to the Spirit of Brigid

Culture
04 Feb 25

Nothing Compares at The Moat Theatre, Naas to celebrate Brigid 2025 with Hot Press and Kildare County Council. Copyright Jason Doherty

The Hot Press Newsdesk

Imelda May, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Una Healy, Lemoncello and Rachael Lavelle – along with special guest Sabina Higgins and host Laura Whitmore – delivered captivating, soul-baring performances in Naas on Friday evening.

Over the past three years, the Nothing Compares concert at the Moat Theatre in Naas, Co. Kildare, has carved out a unique space on the Irish live music calendar – keeping the fiery legacy of Brigid alive by celebrating a genre-spanning selection of exceptionally creative and uncompromising Irish women.

This year, the show – presented by Kildare County Council and Hot Press – was part of an action-packed Brigid 2025 programme, all aspects of which embraced key values associated with Brigid. Nothing Compares: A Celebration of Irish Women Artists placed a specific emphasis on Brigid’s ties to creativity, the arts, inspiration and healing – as well as her reputation as a powerful woman unafraid to challenge the status quo.

While a special screening of Herself, and a wonderfully uplifting and inspiring Q&A session with star/co-writer Clare Dunne and Hot Press film editor Roe McDermott took place across the road in the beautiful St David’s Church, and crowds gathered around food stalls and activities in the courtyard of Naas Library, those lucky enough to secure a ticket to the sold-out Nothing Compares event began streaming inside the Moat Theatre, to catch the night’s MC, Laura Whitmore, kicking off proceedings.

As well as guiding the audience through the various performances, Laura also bared her own creative soul with a reading of her poem ‘She’ – a fitting celebration of the multifaceted nature of womanhood, originally penned for International Women’s Day in 2020. And, in truth, Laura carried the show brilliantly, entering into the spirit of the occasion and never missing a beat.

Rachael Lavelle, one of the country's most innovative, genre-defying talents, was the night’s first musical guest – filling the 200-capacity room effortlessly with just her voice, keyboard and a world of effects at her fingertips. Her mesmerising set featured highlights from her Choice Prize-nominated debut album, 2023’s Big Dreams, including ‘Sleepy Gal’, 'Let Me Unlock Your Full Potential', and the deeply moving title track – all reminding us that, although Imbolc may be a time of awakening and welcoming back the light, a deep, dreamy sleep is hard to beat.

Lemoncello – another phenomenal force on the current Irish scene with a freshly released debut LP under their belt – were up next. The raw magic and tender storytelling of their self-titled album was boldly brought to life onstage, with the duo’s rich cello sound, finger-picked guitar, and soulfully earthy vocals proving as compelling a concoction as ever. The performance – featuring captivating compositions like 'Harsh Truths', as well as their brilliant Carlow/Donegal brand of stage banter – left no doubt as to why Lemoncello are in the running for two awards at the upcoming RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Another beautiful acoustic moment soon followed, as Una Healy – armed with her guitar – took to the stage. Showcasing her artistic evolution from a member of the hugely successful pop group The Saturdays to a bona fide country music star, she kicked off her set with ‘Stay My Love’ from her debut solo project The Waiting Game – a track originally performed on the album as a collaboration with Nashville star Sam Palladio. Embracing the strong female-focused spirit of the evening, she also performed an emotional rendition of her track ‘Staring at The Moon’, which she penned for her daughter Aoife.

Brigid’s connections with compassion, peace and poetry were also celebrated on the night by special guest Sabina Higgins – an accomplished actress, activist and the wife of President Michael D. Higgins. Carrying on the legacy of Brigid, who would famously intervene in disputes, she called for an end to killing and warmongering – noting that the world’s military spending had surged to a record $2.4 trillion, while “millions are dying of poverty, and our earth is burning.”

Speaking with immense passion, she went on to recite two poems – ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘Turn Back, O Man’ by Clifford Bax – that were penned during World War I, yet continue to serve as timely reminders of the evils of war. But she also looked to the future, while paying tribute to the late Michael Longley, by reading his poem ‘Ceasefire’ – a powerful reflection about the necessary steps towards peace, originally written towards the end of the Troubles in the North.

The iconic singer and actress Maria Doyle Kennedy, together with her husband, musician Kieran Kennedy, presented the night’s penultimate set – showcasing the remarkable depth of her artistry, her wonderful voice, and her effortless ability to move from the playful to the profound. The latter was especially to the fore on ‘Colour Code / These Streets Are Always Blue’ – a devastating reflection, from the perspective of a mother, on the police brutality faced by Black people in the US: “What would you like me to do – put him in a box so his feet can’t grow, and he can’t grow into something that looks like a threat to you?

Each performer embodied a different aspect of Brigid's power throughout the night, but it felt particularly fitting that the show would be capped off with a set from Imelda May. The Dublin artist has found international stardom by delving deep into a well of inspiration from Ireland and around the world – embracing not only the creativity and poetry we associate with Brigid, but also her ancient roots as a healer and Mother Earth-like figure.

Joined by her long-time guitarist Oliver Darling, Imelda acknowledged the unique energy in the theatre – "I really felt her here tonight," she said of Brigid – before reciting her poem 'Becoming', another celebration of womanhood in its many diverse forms.

Her musical performances also highlighted her range and diversity as an artist, from the old American folk song 'Down In The Valley', to the jazz-informed 'Meet You At The Moon' from her chart-topping album Love Tattoo. The latter, as Imelda noted onstage, felt like a special full-circle moment, following Una Healy's 'Staring at The Moon' – with Una's track having been written for a daughter by a mother, while Imelda's was penned for a mother by a daughter.

That theme of motherhood was carried on by Imelda, as she recited her poem 'Mammy's Dying' – featuring moving snapshots of childhood memories – as well as a tender rendition of Sinéad O'Connor's 'This Is To Mother You'.

In another powerful tribute to Sinéad (the star whose 1990 single inspired the concert's title), and specifically her talents as a songwriter, Imelda was joined onstage by Laura Whitmore, Una Healy and Maria Doyle Kennedy, for a special final cover.

Each artist took a verse of Sinéad's soul-baring Universal Mother track 'Thank You For Hearing Me', before being joined in the chorus by the entire room. As a song of compassion, gratitude and love, it felt like the most fitting way imaginable of celebrating the spirit of Brigid – whose legacy continues to inspire women right across the country and beyond.