The best one yet!

Dear Reader –

So you are telling me…!
Full Vicar St pictorial report below but first…

The Big Thing

Theme Night #35 - October 2024.

And as always letter readers you get advance notice…

Tickets now on sale for Sligo, Ballyshannon and Roscommon shows in October.

All details here…

Where else but Sligo?

What a day we had on Thursday…
Sligo on tour…with a bit of Donegal, Clare and Tipperary thrown in!

Here are some of Steve Rogers’ pictures from the day - of the journey up, rehearsals, pre-show and then of course the show itself!!

What’s New?

1. ON THE RADIO: RTE Radio One Presenter Louise Duffy was at the show on Thursday and loved it! She gave us a great mention on her show on Friday morning. Listen here (12 mins in)…

2. ON THE TELLY: A reminder that Sinéad Conway and I will be representing Sligo on TV tonight (Saturday). Plus Theme Night regular Cathy Jordan representing Roscommon!
   Songs of Ireland - with Mike Hanrahan and Pat Shortt. RTE One at 8.35pm.

3. ON THE BALL: Love this photo of the younger members of our party having a kickaround in Ballinalack on the way up…

Finally…

We have some videos of the night coming your way, but for now take a moment and have a listen to one of the most beautiful beginning melodies…have a great Saturday everyone!

Till next time - Kieran.

Jessica McCauna

Dear Reader –

The big question after last weekend’s Teenage Theme Nights was….who is Jessica McCauna?!
Pro Murray paints a mysterious picture in this brand new song - and everyone was singing it last weekend..

The Big Thing

Theme Night #34 in Vicar St.
I feel I’ve written enough about it in the last few weeks…so here are a few simple numbers.

• 900+ in the venue

• 75 musicians

• 22 unique performances

• 2 days to go

• 1 chance to see the show

Where else but Sligo?

A massive thank you to the local businesses, individuals and institutions that have helped us on our way by buying VIP tickets, sponsoring musicians, our travel expenses, and even our breakfast the morning after!

It’s a real example of Sligo coming through to make sure this event happened - you can see the size of the list below and that’s not even everyone - some didn’t want to be named. Thank you to all.

Bree's Strandhill
DNG Flanagan Ford
Eason Sligo
Ergo
EJ Menswear
Filans Centra
The Glasshouse Hotel
Hickey Coghill Solicitors
Kevin Egan Cars
Liber Bookshop
Lillies Cocktail Bar
Lyons Cafe
McLynn's Bar
O'Boyle Solicitors
Raftery & Co. Accountants
Sazarac
Shells Sea Side Bakery Cafe
Shoot The Crows
Sligo County Council
Sligo Credit Union
Sligo Park Hotel
Sligo Tourism Development Association
The Snug
Studyclix
Thomas Connolly's
Tiger Print

What’s New?

1. ON THE TELLY: Keep an eye out for Sinéad Conway and I representing Sligo on TV this coming Saturday. Songs of Ireland - with Mike Hanrahan and Pat Shortt. RTE One at 8.35pm.

2. CAREERS FAIR: Thanks to everyone at North West Careers Fest for having me along to talk about my career (still sounds strange to call it that)! It was an extremely well-run and well-attended event, and it was reassuring to see a few familiar teenage faces in what was a packed lecture hall.

3. TEENAGE THEME NIGHT #32: A sign of the busy week that’s in it that there is no mention today of last week’s amazing Unplugged gig in Lillies and only these short few lines on the weekend’s Teenage Theme Nights.
   Two things that stood out for me…firstly each of our tutors, professional band members and production team going above and beyond their core responsibilities to make sure that the teens had a memorable weekend.
   And I love when we see previously quiet and reserved teenagers coming out of themselves to deliver show-stopping performances. Well done to all.

Finally…

From last time out - we miss you Chris!

Till next time - Kieran.

Out of a job!

Dear Reader –

Introducing Beezies - Nicole, Anna and Ellie - three of the stars of the class of 2024.
This is a gorgeous version of Linger, and they have another great arrangement ready for us all at this weekend’s Teenage Theme Night Showcase…

The Big Thing

Speaking of which…M A S S I V E weekend ahead!!!

Songs from the 70s is the theme, and we have almost 100 teens ready to take the stage. The more these shows develop, the smaller the need there is for us professional musicians on stage. I love how the teens are now not only performing out front, but are also taking over the instrumental seats in the band too.

A nice quiet few nights ahead so for myself, Niamh, Eddie, Dave and Tonto!

Please join us - there are so many huge talents in this year’s crew. Tickets here.

Where else but Sligo?

Eoin Troy is the final performer featured this week in our Humans of the Theme Nights series.

Our upcoming Vicar St show is the 34th in the Theme Night series and Eoin will have performed at 32 of them. Some record!

He tells stories here about stealing a go at his brother’s guitars, how moving to Sligo was a huge step for him as a musician and what the Theme Nights mean to him as a performer.

The Humans of the Theme Nights series was conceived, crafted and presented to you from start to finish by Theme Nights producer Joy Feehily. Thanks Joy - I loved reading the stories - I hope you all did too.

What’s New?

1. VICAR ST PREVIEW SHOW: Tomorrow night (Wed) at 8pm upstairs in Lillies. Down to the last few (literally) tickets. Get them here if you’d like a sneak preview of some of next week’s show…

2. QUEEN MEABH SQUARE: It’s officially open! Great reports from a jam-packed Bank Holiday weekend of gigs - congrats to all involved.

3. OLD MARKET ST SWING BAND: I had the pleasure of sitting in with Gerry, Karl, Vinny and Seamie last Friday - and what a gig we had!! Amazing atmosphere in Connolly’s - a full dance floor for most of the two hours and just a wonderful fun gig to play. The lads play there every Friday at 5.30-7.30.

Finally…

From our very first end-of-year Teenage Theme Night Showcase in May 2017 - here’s Gillian Brennan from Corcra with Hopelessly Devoted to You…lots more of this coming this weekend!

Till next time - Kieran.

An Irish icon joining us...

Dear Reader –

It made me so happy to hear this man sing again - what a powerful performance this is.

Georgie was one of the stars of our last trip to Dublin, coining the iconic 'Victor St' phrase. We're really hopeful he can join us this time too...

The Big Thing

Forget January being long, I can’t believe we’re still in April - it’s like the interminable wait for a holiday to arrive, or a big match to come around. Because look at the fun ahead of us in the month of May!

A special unplugged Vicar St preview show in Lillies on May 8, our farewell to the class of 2024 on May 11 and 12, and then the big one in Vicar St on May 16.

Some great news came through on this gig during the week - a national icon (who also happens to play great saxophone) is going to join us on the show, and we also got confirmation that our own national icons Sandy Kelly and Seamie O’Dowd will be there.

Finally, if you’re still on the fence as to whether or not to go to the gig, just watch this. Rory Maitland does a fantastic job of explaining what the show is all about. Thanks to The Sligo Show for having us on…

Oh and if you want tickets to any of the shows, just click on the poster below.

Where else but Sligo?

Sarah Casserley was featured this week in our Humans of the Theme Nights series.

Sarah was the physio to the Sligo GAA team when I played and still my go-to person to fix any creaks or cracks. She famously saved the 4th finger on my right hand after a football landed on top of it and broke a tendon and contrary to some beliefs she wasn’t the person who told me to stop playing football (!) - I managed to make that decision all on my own.

Sarah is a wonderful musician and from what I see we will hopefully be working a lot with her children over the coming years too - some fantastic talent coming up behind her. You can read her story in full here…

What’s New?

1. SLIGO ACADEMY OF MUSIC GALA CONCERT: More May musical fun - on Thurs week the 9th to be exact. Niamh and her gang of teachers do amazing work and this concert is always worth seeing…

2. JIMMY’S WINNING MATCHES: He’s at it again! I remember playing this song at a wedding in Dubai post Donegal’s 2012 win. The father of the groom must have been well connected - he rang the man himself to play our version of the song to him live down the phone…

3. THE CLASS OF 2024: We had our second workshop on Saturday - putting the finishing touches to our setlist of songs from the 70s. Aileen was helping out with performance tips for the teens - including stagecraft, how to really learn lyrics and what to do with your hands when singing!

Finally…

The dog days are over - that’s a beginning surely?!

Till next time - Kieran.

Get out and play!

Dear Reader –

“Ive honestly been singing since I could talk really”.
Great first line to this week’s Humans of the Theme Nights story…read on for more.

The Big Thing

But first, a frantic hour of phone calls took place yesterday afternoon.

We were due to head for Keash for a U-14 league match at 6.45, but around 4.30 the news came through that two of the girls were feeling unwell. Numbers are tight this year and so all of a sudden we had to get on the phone to see who else we could find. Last-minute registrations, shared lifts, cancelled activities, everything was on the table in the bid to fulfil the fixture.

And tempting as it might have been for some to have the evening off and enjoy the sun, I was struck by the determination present among players and parents alike that the game would go ahead.

Because nothing compares to doing it.

And after all the to-ing and fro-ing, the game eventually took place. Our girls lost, but it was worth it. Just to get out and play. Nothing like it.

PS I’m pictured with former teammate Ross Donovan below. Ross’s wife was in charge of yesterday’s opponents and our daughters played against each other on the field. The circle of life!

Where else but Sligo?

Emily Meades was featured this week in our Humans of the Theme Nights series.

For someone so young her back story was really interesting. But it has moved on since…

We had certain plans for Emily on the upcoming show - including a brand new duet with Sinéad Conway on one of our big finale numbers, but she has since informed me that she has been inundated with requests to sing this song after the video we released last week. Is there room for both?!

Time will tell. In the meantime you can read her story in full here…

What’s New?

1. JUST DO IT: I’m not sure that US advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy had the Coolera-Strandhill U-14 girls GAA team in mind when they came up with this famous slogan, but it certainly was applicable in last night’s story. Interestingly, it was inspired by the last words of convicted murderer Gary Kennedy, whose when facing execution simply said ‘Let’s do it’.

2. TRAVEL: Call me old-fashioned, but it still amazes at how someone can be teaching in a classroom somewhere in Ireland at lunchtime and by evening they can be sipping sangria with dinner in Lisbon!

3. 4 YEARS AGO: We were meant to be in Vicar St on April 23 2020. Instead we did this…mad!

Finally…

Not quite sangria, but we’re working on this song for an upcoming show and I’m enjoying it!

Till next time - Kieran.

Yesterday's big day out!

Dear Reader –

Sometimes you need a good day out!

The Big Thing

And you mightn’t even know you need it until you’re halfway through it and you can’t stop commenting on what a great day out it is!

It was a lovely mixture of the In The Lamplight crew and the gang of us who are looking after the Theme Nights YouTube channel. And the day was full of wonderful coincidences.

Rory drove most of us up - we stopped in Ballinalack (of course) on the way up and I bumped into the father of a friend of mine and then (amazingly!) another great friend home from Uruguay.

We met Joy in Dublin and headed to Vicar St for a reccie where we discovered that the production manager there is the son of one of our choir members (and his sister is best friends with mine)!

We checked out a few smaller venues for possible upcoming gigs and bumped into Ballina superstar Garron Noone getting ready for a gig in Whelans. While we were there the news came through that one of our big guest artists for the Vicar St show has confirmed that he can make it…

So good fun all round - a leisurely afternoon, a nice bite to eat, a successful trip to an Escape Room of course, and we were ready for the road trip home, where we got stuck into the last few arguments about who should sing what on the upcoming show.

A great day out!

Where else but Sligo?

Ken ‘Tonto’ McDonald was featured this week in our Humans of the Theme Nights series.

In what is certainly not your conventional route to becoming a professional musician, Ken tells of leaving the ‘safe job’ in the bank, a failed audition with the school orchestra and the coat stand that supported his first cymbal.

Ken has been a massive part of the Theme Nights and Teenage Theme nights since Day 1 and yet there were parts of his story that I didn’t know. Read it in full here…

What’s New?

1. VANESSA JOB: Rest in Peace Vanessa - you brightened up our Hawk’s Well days in your own unique way. I wrote a few words about Vanessa’s impact on the Theme Nights here.

2. WHATSAPP: Shows how much we use the app when we are thrown by two lower case letters being changed to upper case! You know which ones I mean…

3. VICAR ST PREVIEW SHOW: Limited availability for this gig - last few tickets here.

Finally…

The latest Theme Nights video…
The crew eventually persuaded me to do a current song! First one in Rory’s shed too…
Favourite moment? Seamie setting up his amp and asking Stephen for a ‘quick listen to the tune’. 60 mins later he produced this.

Oh and Emily’s not bad either…

Till next time - Kieran.

One Night Only!

Dear Reader –

News of a special gig this week for those of you who can’t make it to Vicar St…

But first - we have lots of new releases to look forward to on the Theme Nights YouTube channel over the coming weeks…starting with Mr Joe Hunt!

The Big Thing

As promised above…our special Vicar St preview show…as always you dear letter readers have first dibs.

Wed May 8 upstairs in Lillies.
Show at 8pm.
Very limited availability.
Tickets (only €10) on sale from 6pm this evening (Tuesday).
Get them here.

Where else but Sligo?

Therese O’Loughlin was featured this week in our Humans of the Theme Nights series.

Therese is a much-loved member of the Theme Night Choir, and told us how choirs have now been part of her life for almost 50 years! She also spoke about her work in Globe House, her passion for Sligo Jazz and her favourite Theme Night moment.

From a personal point of view, Therese is one of the people who epitomises the spirit of the nights. She is first to welcome anyone new to the group, always looks out for people backstage and performs with a huge smile every time!

Read her story in full here…

What’s New?

1. NEW MUSIC: Teenage Theme Night graduate Paddy Keyes has released another great upbeat song. Over and Over - have a listen here.

2. END OF THE CHERRY BLOSSOM SEASON: As we watched Storm Kathleen lay waste to the last of this years’ blossoms over the weekend, I was reminded of this quote from The Last Samurai.
   ”The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your entire life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life”.

3. TEENAGE THEME NIGHT WORKSHOP: The preparations have begun for May’s big show!

Finally…

No second chances with this Vicar St show folks…it’s on for one night only!!

Till next time - Kieran.

We've only just begun...

Dear Reader –

After all our efforts to determine potential numbers for a bus to Vicar St last week, we found out that Irish Concert Travel already had one on!
Details in the What’s New section…

The Big Thing

But first, we hosted our first Teenage Theme Night Open Mic on Tuesday in the foyer of the Hawk’s Well Theatre.

It was a less formal event than our regular Teenage Theme Nights - designed to encourage first-timers to get up and sing, and existing participants to try new things. It was also an opportunity for the teenagers to catch up in the lead-up to our last show of the year in May.

And it was fantastic - it ended up being a sold out event with lots of new faces, and loads of musical highlights! Thanks to our hosts James and Sean, event producer Joy, to all our performers, to everyone who supported the event and a shoutout to Cal Halpin for bringing the drum kit!

More photos from the event on my Facebook page.

Where else but Sligo?

Our Humans of the Theme Nights series kicked off last week with a feature on Jamie Callaghan (pictured below, second from right, with his first band).

Jamie first got involved with us on Theme Night #20. Eddie Lee had sent me a video of him busking on the street and then when I heard him in person outside Tesco I knew we had to get him involved.
He sang The Best of My Love on the show but I remember vividly that it was when Joe Hunt couldn’t make a rehearsal one night and Jamie stepped into his place to sing Hotel California that our collective jaws dropped! What a vocalist he is.

And his story is full of surprises, including a session with Adele’s vocal coach! Read it in full here…

What’s New?

1. VICAR ST BUS: Book your tickets here.

2. BALTASAR GRÁCIAN ON PRODUCTIVITY: “Do something well, and that is quickly enough.”

3. ROAD SIGNS: Standing proud around the outskirts of Sligo town. Have you spotted any?!

Finally…

The setlist discussions for Vicar St are firmly up and running…this is beautiful!

Till next time - Kieran.