How to make friends...

Dear Reader –

This James Clear quote links the first two sections of today’s letter nicely.

“Friendship happens on the way to something else. If you “try to meet new people” it feels weird and forced. The more you aim for friendship, the more it eludes you. But if you aim to learn or achieve something with others, friendship happens naturally during the shared pursuit.”

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

As a regular reader of this letter, you will know that a new season of our podcast In The Lamplight started a couple of weeks ago. Our fourth season, even though it’s called Season 3 (don’t even bother going there). And it’s a joy being back.

Luke Devaney, Rory Maitland and I started this podcast a year ago in order to find a vehicle to continue a great working relationship that had been born during the online theme nights in 2020. It got us through much of lockdown and gave us the opportunity to make music with people at a time when there really wasn’t much of that happening.

And we have kept it going. Together we have written music, recorded with some of our favourite musicians, and gone cliff-jumping. Now Mícheál Kearney has joined us, and has brought extra energy and expertise to the group.

Possibly my favourite part of it is the chats however. Be they with the lads around whatever comes up each week, or with guests, but being on air means that the conversations can take on a different energy.

We have already spoken to Ian Dempsey, Eamonn O’Hara and Michael Rooney this season. Kian Egan was out with us last night, and like the others it was a pleasure to be in his company and hear his story.

New episodes come out every Wednesday, and you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Where else but Sligo?

It was county final weekend in Sligo this week, so Tourlestrane won. Again.

They beat my club, Coolera-Strandhill. Well. Just like they did in the 2019 final. And the 2018 semi-final replay. And many other times in recent years.

It was dispiriting, deflating, crushing even. Go to the thesaurus and pick your word. It probably applies.

We thought we had a chance this time, and I had never seen the parish so well-decorated. Former players travelled back from all around the country for the game, and many made it out for a pint and a chat afterwards.

And as the evening progressed, and the company and craic started to defeat the disappointment, we thanked the players for the fantastic football they played this year, we told each other that we mustn’t leave it so long next time, and we said that life goes on and nobody died.

Congratulations to Tourlestrane. 6 titles in a row is an amazing achievement. Sligo Stats summed it up nicely on Twitter this week.

What’s New?

1. Today is Tuesday, and so maybe somewhere in a pub in Co. Sligo lads are embarking on the third day of either celebrations or drowning their sorrows after last Sunday’s county finals. This is an audio version of a brilliant and insightful short story called ‘The Third Day’.

2. We were told last week that we can now have full houses at seated theatre gigs again. So if you missed out on tickets for December’s Theme Night #28, next week’s letter will have details of a further release of tickets for these shows.

3. In last week’s letter I mentioned two weekly sessions in Sligo that had been running for 15 years or more. Thanks to regular reader Eddie Lee for getting in touch to inform me that the Shoot The Crows Wednesday session featuring Eddie and other members of No Crows has been running for a similar length of time. Really hoping that all these sessions can return soon.

Finally…

Speaking of No Crows, here they are at their best…

Till next time - Kieran.

Go ahead - Jump!

Dear Reader –

“Firstly, you need to decide whether you’re jumping or not. If the answer is yes, then take small steps to make sure that happens”.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

The above quote is my interpretation of the advice Rory Maitland gave us when he brought us cliff-jumping last week. As part of the new Rory Recommends slot on our podcast.

Obviously jumping off a cliff is a big enough thing in itself, but the reason I’m including it here this week is because I think the below video he made to document the trip is top class.

Where else but Sligo?

Ringmaster of this storied Sligo session, Gerry Grennan, announced this week that he will be seeking a new home for his Tuesday gig. By my reckoning (COVID times not included), this brings to an end (for now) the longest-running weekly session in Sligo. Seamie McGowan’s Sunday session in The Strand is the only one that comes close to my knowledge. Please let me know if I have neglected to mention any.

15 years of Tuesdays in McLynns, and in Gerry’s own words, “I have great memories of all the people I introduced to this famous old pub to start their musical journey. The joy and pride I felt when they came in to play their first song, full of nervous energy and courage.....a special time”.

A special time indeed, and by all accounts a special session too. Many times I heard of the welcoming atmosphere, the fun and great music for which these Tuesdays were renowned. No surprise, as these are qualities that Gerry himself always brings in abundance.

This session would be a huge addition to any pub or venue, and if anyone has any ideas for Gerry as regards a new home, he can be contacted on Facebook. Otherwise reply to this email and I will pass on your suggestions.

What’s New?

1. Cliff-jumping is a great metaphor for making leaps in life. Here is a brilliant blog on figuring out when is best to do so.

2. Three great songs with ‘jump’ in the title.

3. Teenage Theme Night #24 will take place in The Model on November 26th and 27th. The teenagers have just decided on the theme - it’s Now That’s What I Call Music, specifically any song from an album with that title. There are only the 109 of them (!) and anyone interested can go through them all here. Send an email to kieran@kieranquinn.ie if you or someone you know is interested. Go ahead - jump!

Finally…

One more jumping song to finish - the piano riff at the beginning of this number always drew me in. Don’t be fooled by the lyrics though - most times we make big jumps in life there is no parachute, but this makes it all the more exciting when your feet do leave the ground.

Till next time - Kieran.

Going to the chapel...

Dear Reader –

After a few really special gigs over the last month or so, things have calmed down for a while, and I am looking forward to a few big weddings in my circle of family and friends over the next few weeks.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

But firstly…our podcast In The Lamplight returns tomorrow (Wednesday) with Episode 1 of Season 3.

Luke, Rory and I have a new co-host on board (see vid below for the big reveal), we’re trying loads of new things this season and our guest on tomorrow’s episode is none other than Irish broadcasting legend IAN DEMPSEY.

The show will be out first thing on Wednesday morning. You can hear first about every new episode if you sign up to our email list at lamplightpod.com

Where else but Sligo?

I’m not sure will any of the upcoming weddings have a floral display quite like this one with which I was recently greeted at a wedding gig in Markree Castle.

For context - that is a baby grand piano being dwarfed by this arrangement.

Worthy of its place in this section for the picture alone I think!

What’s New?

1. Theme Night #28 sold out in less than 48 hours last week. Thanks so much to you all for supporting the return of these shows. We hope to be able to release more tickets later in the month if more COVID restrictions are lifted. Again you, as a reader of this letter will hear first.

2. I read this quote during the week - and thought it was worthy of sharing with you.

   “If you’re overthinking, write. If you’re underthinking, read.”

3. Two new songs have just been published on my Piano With Kieran YouTube channel. You can now learn to play the melody of Imagine (John Lennon) and Halo (Beyoncé). Follow the links in the descriptions of the videos to find 6-question ear training challenges on each song.

Finally…

A few years ago when I was a regular on the church wedding circuit with Sinéad Conway, the most popular song among brides and grooms of that era was without a doubt Nella Fantasia - a vocal version of Ennio Morricone’s Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission.

A few of us from Sligo had the pleasure of performing this piece of sheer beauty under the baton of Mr. Morricone a few years ago. The publisher won’t let me display it here, but click through - it’s worth it.

Till next time - Kieran.

Announcement - Theme Night #28

Dear Reader –

I’m excited today to show you the title and cover art of the forthcoming Theme Night Album…

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

…and to announce Theme Night #28!

The first live theme night in almost 2 years will happen this December, 10 years to the month since the first ever theme night took place.

The title for the show is ‘How Can I Keep From Singing?’ - named after the Theme Night Album (which will be released by then). We will be playing songs from the album as well as spreading some Christmas cheer in the manner of the first ever theme night in 2011.

As a subscriber to this letter, you can purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Just make sure to be at your computer, phone or the Hawk’s Well Theatre itself between 10 and 11am tomorrow (Wednesday).

So to confirm - these shows will take place on the 16th/17th/18th of December and you can get your tickets from 10am tomorrow (despite what it may say on the Hawk’s Well’s website). Click on the album cover below for ticket and show details.

Where else but Sligo?

Saturday night was another milestone on the road to the return of the live entertainment industry. And what a special one it was. So many highlights - Francie Lenehan’s solo on Tennessee Whiskey, sparks flying in the duets between Emily/Sinéad and Cathy/Sandy, playing with Joe Hunt again, and the volume of you guys in the crowd singing back to us. And the downpour that came seconds after we struck our last note. Amazing.

My favourite moment was during Jackson - Seamie out of his comfort zone - complete with lyric sheet and sunglasses - was being led around the stage by the aforementioned Sandy, until he realised that he had borrowed Marie O’Byrne’s music stand and had forgotten to give it back. So halfway through the walk-off and goodbye at the end of the song, he excused himself, ran back on stage to bring the music stand back to Marie, and returned to link arms with Sandy and say goodbye once more.

Thanks to Sligo County Council and Sligo Live for making this gig happen - it was a huge tonic for us, and hopefully you too.

Finally, while winding down from the gig, my wife and I ended up on Rossnowlagh beach yesterday morning. And we realised that we hadn’t been there since Sunday March 15th 2020, when we took a similar trip in anticipation of the fact that soon we may not be able to travel outside our county boundary.

And as we reflected on everything that has happened in between, a wave of gratitude washed over me, and so I want today to thank you. You who read this letter and before it my blog, you who were in town at the gig last Saturday or the Hawk’s Well a couple of weeks ago, you who made the forthcoming theme night album possible, and you who in whatever way supported what I do and what we in the music business do throughout the last difficult period. I’m really looking forward to another step along this road with you in December.

What’s New?

1. Once again EJ Menswear looked after me brilliantly in decking me out for the big gig on Saturday night. Thanks to Eamonn, Tom and the gang in there for their expertise and trademark welcome.

2. Another great Sligo business, Tiger Print, have come up with the goods again in producing an updated edition of my piano tuition workbook. Lots of happy students receiving this at their lessons this week, so thanks to Eamon, Sean and the crew there.

3. And let’s make it a hat-trick - big thanks too this week to Kevin Noone at Nooneboy Design for all his hard work on the album artwork. I hope you like the album cover, and I look forward to showing you the rest of it in due course.

Finally…

Definitely on my list of top 5 favourite songs of all-time is Billy Joel’s Scenes From an Italian Restaurant. It was released in 1977, before music videos were a thing, so Mr. Joel decided to belatedly make and release a video for it last week. It’s great!

Till next time - Kieran.

From a Distance

Dear Reader –

From a distance, our younger days look blue, we forget the clouds and rain.

From a distance, I want to trust in you, even if you cause me pain.

From a distance, this week there’ll be harmony which will echo through our town.

It’s the sound of hope, it’s the sound of joy. It’s the sound of music coming home.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Last week, the number of publications which have chosen to use my written work doubled!

As a regular reader of this letter, you will know that the Sligo Weekender has been taking a chance on my writing for a year or so, and now in the last few days, The Lilliput Press have published the 5th edition of Trinity Tales, which includes an essay I wrote on all sides of life as a Gaelic footballer in Trinity College in the early 2000s.

It was a wonderful experience. I got to work with a fantastic editor - Sorcha Pollak - and it made me get in touch with many old friends and teammates in order to confirm scorelines, timelines and stories.

You can find out more about the book here.

Where else but Sligo?

A powered speaker of mine needed servicing recently, and I had heard from a colleague of mine that there was a really good guy working out of a workshop in the Rumble Reherarsal space in town.

Covid made it more difficult than usual to find the necessary parts and even be allowed in to meet the man in question, but the speaker was ready last week and I finally met Shane Benjamin when I picked it up.

Now to be honest, I won’t know what kind of job Shane did on my speaker for a while, possibly ever. It works now, which is a great start (!), but for someone like myself who doesn’t know the first thing about the inside of a speaker, there has to be a certain amount of trust involved in a situation like this.

And Shane excels in building trust. Firstly in this instance, there is the fact that he was recommended to me by a colleague. Secondly he is a musician himself, which will naturally make another musician believe in him more. Thirdly, his customer service, professionalism, honesty and attention to detail are second to none.

And finally, you couldn’t walk into his workshop (see below) and not be impressed by his use of space and the meticulous ordering and hanging of parts and equipment. And that adds significantly to the atmosphere of trust that the above factors have created, because If the inside of my speaker looks half as tidy as Shane’s workshop does, I have a feeling it will last long after it should have packed it in.

You can find out more about Shane and his workshop here.

What’s New?

1. All 16 performances from Teenage Theme Night #23 are now live on YouTube here.

2. My Piano with Kieran tuition videos and challenges are back. Test your musical ear on the Glasgow Love Theme here or Falling Slowly here.

3. The big Sligo Live gig this weekend is almost upon us. I believe tickets are sold out but if you were one of the lucky ones to get one, please make some noise on Saturday night!

Finally…

The setlist for the aforementioned gig has been chosen to keep you all moving and dancing. As always, variety is the spice of life however, and we have chosen a few special slower numbers too, including a new arrangement of this one which features two of your favourite singers singing together for the first time. I can’t wait to see you there.

Till next time - Kieran.

The Way I Dreamed It

Dear Reader –

I wrote a piano instrumental with this title once. It’s mainly sad and even a bit dark but resolves every so often to a major and more hopeful melody. It sets the mood nicely for this week’s letter - maybe take some time and have a listen before reading on…

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Now this is more like it. No sooner have we finished one run of gigs than tickets are available for another.

And it’s soon. Sat Oct 2 with a huge line-up of local musicians. Tickets free but you will need one to get in.

Available as of 10am today so secure them now - here.

Where else but Sligo?

I could write a week’s worth of letters about everything that happened last week when we returned to the Hawk’s Well stage. I think this story sums it up however.

It was Saturday night, and the closest thing we’ll get to a full theatre for the next few weeks. 200 people in - 60% capacity as per regulations. I had set up the show so that we would make a low-key entrance while the lights were still down and launch straight into Anthony Newley’s Feeling Good. Jazz drumming legend Adam Nussbaum was in my head - he gently corrected me one year on the Sligo Jazz Project ago when I introduced it as a Nina Simone song.

Anyway, last Saturday we did Michael Bublé’s version and Sinéad Conway did more than sing it. She lived and performed every word of it, and the audience responded with a reaction worthy of one ten times their size. It wasn’t the time for talk, so we started pretty much straight away into The Boys Are Back in Town. I could see grown adults writhing in their seats with excitement, others with mouths open, arms in the air, excited with anticipation. Jamie Callaghan strutted out to sing it, and even his most powerful of vocals wouldn’t have been heard until the huge welcoming roar that the audience gave him died down, so we were glad of every one of the 16 bars Phil Lynott wrote in the Intro.

And my heart soared. This crowd, just like those who came to see us on Wednesday and Thursday, knew what it meant to us to be back on stage, and seemed determined to give us a huge welcome. The energy we felt from them then added to our enthusiasm, making us more determined to put on a show they would enjoy. The perfect communion between performers and audience, and the way we dreamed that we would make our return over the last 18 months.

Here’s a taste from Thursday night’s show.

What’s New?

1. The first Teenage Theme Night of the new school year will take place in The Model on the weekend of November 26&27. Email kieran@kieranquinn.ie if you are interested in taking part.

2. Brendan Tierney’s Sligo Comedy Festival runs nightly until Friday. All details here.

3. And in a real sign of things returning, the Sligo Festival of Baroque Music also takes place this week - artistic director Nicola Cleary was interviewed about it in the Irish Times recently, and you can find out more about the festival itself here.

Finally…

One that captures the mood we’re all feeling after last week’s live music. Eddie Fitzpatrick with the finale of last week’s Teenage Theme Night #23.

Till next time - Kieran.

The Big Comeback!

Dear Reader –

We make our long-awaited return to the Hawk’s Well stage this week. Government restrictions say that the shows can be just over an hour long, but I can’t wait to show you what we will pack into that time. I have a feeling it’s going to be special and even quite emotional, and it would be lovely to see you there.

Tomorrow (Wednesday): Teenage Theme Night #23 - tickets here.

Thursday and Saturday: Our Welcome Back Show - featuring many of your favourite theme night performers. Tickets here.

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

There’s no doubt what the big thing is this week. Here’s what I’m looking forward to the most…

1. The sense of potential when you walk into the theatre for the first time and see nothing but a shiny black tuned piano on an otherwise empty stage.

2. This year’s teenage emcees - Eddie, Katelyn, Lisa and Saul - getting to host a live show for the first time.

3. The power of a 4-piece horn section in full voice behind you.

4. Getting to play some of the new music we have written and performed online during the last 18 months.

5. The sound of applause in the theatre. It’s different to anywhere else.

6. At this week’s teenage theme night we will bid farewell to some real talents. I can’t wait to see what Eddie Fitzpatrick, Shona Dalton and the rest of the gang have in store for us.

7. Playing some of the tracks from our upcoming Theme Night album live for you.

8. The amazing energy that can be created by a group of performers on stage together.

Where else but Sligo?

Last Tuesday was a sad day as we lost a member of our Theme Night Choir. The gentle giant that was Declan Walsh passed away long before his time, and he will be greatly missed by his family, friends and musical colleagues from Sligo and beyond.

I wrote these words about him on Facebook last week, featuring tributes to him from our Theme Night community, and the below video which shows him at his happiest - doing what he loved doing on stage. He’s the big handsome guy to the right of us three eejits out front.

Rest in Peace Declan.

What’s New?

1. Speaking of comebacks, during the week I came across this incredible run from 2016 by Irish Olympian Phil Healy.

2. This video struck a chord with me given the week we have ahead of us - it shows the emotions experienced by the London cast of The Lion King as they sing Circle of Life together for the first time since before COVID.

3. A reminder that next week sees the start of two adult music education programmes I’m running - a group piano tuition class, and a brand new music club. Please email kieran@kieranquinn.ie if you’re interested in either.

Finally…

Here’s one of my favourite performances from the last time we played live on the Hawk’s Well stage - with the class of 2020. Looking forward to making music with the class of 2021 tomorrow!

Till next time - Kieran.

Finally - a gig announcement!

Dear Reader –

So I promised you a non-Tuesday letter when our upcoming gigs were ready to announce. Well they are, so here you go! If you’re interested, make sure not to be too far from your computer, phone, or the Hawk’s Well Theatre at 10 o’clock this morning (Wed 8th Sept).

*All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18th: Our long-awaited return to the Hawk’s Well Theatre.

It won’t quite be a full-scale theme night, but it will be the closest we can get right now, given current restrictions. Very much looking forward to getting back in a theatre with you all.

Click on the image below for more details and link to buy tickets.

They go on sale at 10 o’clock THIS MORNING (8th Sept).

Where else but Sligo?

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15th: Teenage Theme Showcase for 2021.

The picture below is from May 2019, when the current 6th Yrs (who have just received Leaving Cert results) were in Transition Year. Unfortunately they have missed out on 3 live Teenage Theme Nights since, but thankfully we will return to the Hawk’s Well next week to give them the send-off they deserve.

Click on the image below for more details and link to buy tickets.

Again they go on sale at 10 o’clock THIS MORNING (8th Sept).

What’s New?

1. Last week I celebrated a year of writing weekly columns for the Sligo Weekender. So when you have your tickets bought, here are 3 recent articles for you to read.

   Firstly, from last July, but appropriate this week - on anticipation.

2. From last week - on strange things that can happen when your age ends in the number 9.

3. And the very first column - from last year - all about our heyday.

Finally…

Speaking of which…

Till next time - Kieran.