Pic: Donal Lunny (left) with the late Frank Harte.
Growing up in his father’s pub, Frank Harte was exposed to ballad singers and itinerant sheet-music sellers, the traditional means by which songs got around before the advent of the mass media.
These singers, with their raucous, declamatory delivery made a lasting impression and formed the basis for his own singing style. He was very much attached to Dublin and was, in an odd and unacknowledged way, its laureate.
Although he worked professionally as an architect, his life was devoted to song, rescuing lost songs, ferreting and digging around for unpolished gems. He worked at the same coalface as Len Graham and Padraigin Ni Uallachain, whose exploits around the South Armagh and North Louth area has unearthed and reconstructed many tunes and songs which would otherwise have remained unknown.
His legacy is a healthy output of recordings – ably assisted on the most recent by Donal Lunny, a natural counterpoint to him, and a book on the songs of Dublin. Let’s hope someone else steps up to the mark, even if no-one might fill those shoes.
If you’re thinking of going to see Michelle Shocked in the Spirit Store you better already have a well-fingered ticket in your pocket, as the show has now sold out. Let me be the first to stick my tongue out and say ‘told you so’.
As I’ve also predicted that John Martyn will sell the venue out quickly – and you know I’m never wrong – you would be well advised to get your ticket for his Spirit Store, Dundalk appearance on July 27 as soon as possible.
Also worth catching there will be North Cregg, who’ll be lapping up the best hospitality in Dundalk on July 30.
The 6th Annual Queen Maeve International summer school takes place on the other side of the country – Sligo to be precise – between August 1 and August 5. Music and singing classes will be held daily in the morning and afternoon in the IT College, Ballinode, Sligo Town, music sessions at night time and singing sessions in Earley’s pub, Bridge Street, Sligo. A gala concert featuring the tutors, pupils and a few guest performers will be held on August 4 in the Nazareth House concert hall.
In addition to their two gigs at Barry’s, Grange, Co Cork, Mozaik will also be rattling the floorboards in the Half Moon Theatre, Cork on July 25. The show is fully seated but I’m sure Messrs. Irvine, Lunny and company will have the bravest among the crowd up dancing in the aisles.
Flook are obviously keen to top up their tans as they are devoting the bulk of their gigging resources to Spain over the next couple of months, including what will be a late night at the Zas Festival, Galicia on August 6.
If you’re feeling the withdrawal symptoms too keenly though, you can catch Brian and Ed doing a spot of teaching at the Burwell bash in Cambridgeshire from August 1 to August 5 before they dash off to catch the plane to Spain.
All you Sarah Allen junkies will have to get along to Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK on July 22 and 23 where she is performing with singer Reg Meuross, on whose album she guested.
The Saw Doctors have just finished recording their new studio album in Spiddal, Galway and are currently rehearsing the new songs ahead of their Galway and Irish shows this summer.
The band will now be playing a third concert at the Warwick Hotel on Sunday July 17 during this year’s Galway Arts Festival.
The Saturday night concert at the Warwick is completely sold out and the Friday night show is fast heading the same way as hometown shows by these boyos are the stuff of legend. Sunday’s concert at the Warwick Hotel is the centrepiece of the hotel’s celebrations to mark 21 years as a rock and roll venue.
Currently away on their relentless attempt to gig the US into submission, Dervish will be pretty busy when they come back too, as they headline the Guinness Festival of the Alps in Sion, Switzerland on August 5 before dashing offstage for a night flight back to give the good folks of Castlewellan a taste of the same medicine at the Celtic Fusion festival on August 6.
What was that about no sleep ‘til Brooklyn?
The Puck Fair in Killorglin on August 10 will also be getting treated to a blast of Sligo’s finest before they recharge the batteries with some time in the studio.
Friday July 22 seems like a good time to make the trip to Ennis (is there ever a bad time?) as The Meitheal Finalé Concert will showcase the star quality of Maurice Lennon (Stockton’s Wing), Tim Collins (Kilfenora Céilí Band), Michel Sikiotakis (Mugar) and a good few more.
The students of Meitheal School will also get up on the stage at Glór to perform some exciting and innovative arrangements as well as some newly composed material.
Anyone who fell in love with the Henry Girls during their stint on You’re A Star will be delighted to hear that they now have a very stylish website up and running, where you can check out what they plan to do next. Among the upcoming shows is an appearance at O2 in The Park on August 27.
The NYAH series of concerts continues to build a great home for all things trad in Cavan; Martin Hayes will be doing a stint up there on August 11. It will certainly be a quick seller.
A NYAH Hall of Fame special honouring Belturbet piper PJ Flood is set for September 9.
NYAH are looking for sponsors for their events and have a friends scheme already in place whereby individuals or businesses can contribute to the costs of running these shows.
Benny O’Carroll is one of those workaholic musicians who has been beavering away down in Kerry for years. On August 12 Benny and his band will take to the stage in the INEC, Killarney for an ambitious show coinciding with the release of his new CD and DVD ‘Dance it Yourself’.
The show is being staged in association with the Rehab foundation and will the first major show for Benny in the past five years.