Measure nine times...

Dear Reader -

Dreaming up the year ahead is easier when you get to do it in places like this.
Handy to have great photographers hanging around too - thanks James McManus!

The Big Thing

It’s a great time of the year!

Sitting and thinking, walking and talking, dreaming and planning.

Measure nine times and cut once.

A friend of mine advised me early in my musical career that I’ll have to get used to thinking a year in advance. I couldn’t fathom it at the time, but he was so right. Really looking forward to sharing all in these pages soon.

Where else but Sligo?

We were driving to a family occasion on Sunday and our daughter requested that we play the below song through the car speakers. Sinéad and I simultaneously asked “how do you know that song?!”

“We did it in orchestra” came the answer back.

Niamh Crowley does amazing things with the Sligo Academy of Music, the latest of which was bringing 70 teenagers to Spain recently to play a few gigs and have a good time. And they managed both, according to the reports we got. And if our daughter learns a few golden oldies along the way then all the better!

What’s New?

1. OCKY JOB: No-one in Sligo will be unaware of this tragic story. It has however been heartwarming to see the response to this fundraising initiative for the family.

2. NEW PHASE OF OUR THEME NIGHT VIDEOS: Anyone have any ideas of a singer/song collaboration they’d like to see?

3. RORY’S NEW BARBERSHOP: Best of luck to Theme Night regular Rory Maitland on opening his new premises in Collooney. A few of us helped him celebrate it last week with an Indian takeaway and a chat!

Finally…

The big end-of-summer gig in Ireland this year - I came across this version last night and loved the groove!

Till next time - Kieran.

Belief and Connection

Dear Reader -

That’s what I took with me after Joe Gorman’s wonderful tribute to his Dad in Ransboro last Saturday - the power of strong belief and true connection.

**New Sligo Rovers scarf courtesy of Kevin Noone…

The Big Thing

But first, some music news, and a great new initiative from Theme Night regular Gráinne McCarthy.

A monthly gig upstairs in Lillies featuring the best of original music from Sligo and beyond.

First gig is July 18th - tickets (only €10) available here.

Where else but Sligo?

There are some events about which you’ll always remember where you were when you heard. Last Tuesday’s news was one. I was with my son at the dentist when the messages came through.
Here are a few words I wrote about a giant of our town.

Tommie Gorman came to many a gig.
And every time I saw him at one it made me feel l must be on the right track.

But he only ever sent me one piece of music - a clip of Springsteen playing piano and singing Thunder Road on the Howard Stern show.

"Roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair.
Well the night's busting open - these two lanes will take us anywhere"

“Magic”, said Tommie, and it was fitting for me that it was Springsteen.

Perhaps he saw in him his own qualities of great storytelling, sense of adventure and love of home place.

A great Sligoman. One of the greatest I had the pleasure of knowing.
Rest in peace Tommie.

What’s New?

Three great pieces of writing from the archive.

1. TOMMIE ON SLIGO ROVERS: From Nov 2020. From the RTE website.

2. TOMMIE INTERVIEWED BY SPORTS JOURNALIST KIERAN SHANNON: From April 2021. From The Examiner.

3. TOMMIE ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS: From December 2021. With thanks to The Currency.

Finally…

This has everything. I could write for hours on it. Just watch it…

Till next time - Kieran.

The Theme Nights meet Sting!!

Dear Reader -

An incredible story about Sting (the actual Sting!) below, but first…

Here’s our last Theme Nights video of the current season. Our 36th (!) video since last October - and this one features Theme Nights producer Joy Feehily stepping out in front of the camera for once. Also featuring Beezies (Anna, Ellie and Nicole) who sang this gorgeous version of Linger on our channel earlier in the year.

A big thanks to Joy and the other members of the crew - James McManus, Luke Devaney and Rory Maitland - who worked so hard to get this project off the ground over the last 18 months or so.

You can check out all 36 videos here, and I’ll also be presenting some highlights below…

The Big Thing

Clare Island’s Niall McCabe was one of our visiting artists on Theme Night #33 in February. He sang Paul Simon’s Only Living Boy in New York and also Sting’s Roxanne.

So it was a lovely full circle moment when his manager, Sligo’s Colin Gillen, rang me last Wednesday morning to tell me that one of these legendary artists had asked Niall if he could meet him the previous night (see pic below).

It’s a great story - and an inspirational one for any artist involved in the Theme Nights or elsewhere. Sting had heard Niall doing a cover of one of his tunes and also some of his own songs, loved what he heard and invited himself and Colin to his gig in Cork last Tuesday.

I was delighted for Niall and Colin - two gentlemen - and man do they work hard so they deserve a moment like this. Niall is a fantastic musician and songwriter too. He and I recorded this version of The Island - one of our most popular videos and one of my favourite moments from the year.

And…Niall is back in the Hawk’s Well Theatre this November with a solo show. Still some tickets left here.

Where else but Sligo?

We recorded in many venues over the course of the year…and I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who helped us out in this regard.

Hawk’s Well Theatre, Rory’s shed, Castle Dargan, Sligo Folk Park, Robbie Fitzpatrick’s office, The Abbey Arts Centre Ballyshannon, our sitting room, Kilmacowen Hall, Glencar Lake, The Ox Mountains, Streedagh Beach, Lillies, Tapa Gym, The Model, and of course Vicar St.

We were also in McLynn’s a few times during the year - Darragh and the gang were great to us - and I love how well the place looks in this video…

What’s New?

1. OUR MOST WATCHED VIDEO: From Feb 2024.

2. WHEN WE TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT: From Nov 2023.

3. MY FAVOURITE NEW SONG: From May 2024.

Finally…

This is the first video we produced - released in October 2023 - and still one of my favourites.

Till next time - Kieran.

Ten years ago this week...

Dear Reader –

The last of our live Vicar St videos today - and the first time you ever heard AC/DC on a Theme NIght!

The Big Thing

It’s a great time of the year!

Time to reimagine the Piano with Kieran curriculum - what new songs and features can we add for next year in order to excite our students (and teachers)?!

In the meantime this is the last shout for summer lessons - just a few places left for our 4 and 6-week blocks of classes. 1-1 and shared options available. Perfect for someone looking to try out our unique teaching methods before term proper starts in September. Email pianowithkieran@gmail.com for more info.

Where else but Sligo?

See how many you can recognise from the below photo!
Taken on June 11th 2014 - more than ten years ago now.

It was the night before Theme Night #10 - Burt Bacharach - and a gang of us gathered in the sitting room of our old house in Strandhill to run a few of the tunes.

I’ll always remember the night for two reasons - firstly it was a lovely summers evening and a gang of the neighbours set up camp with a few drinks outside the window and sang, clapped and danced their way through the rehearsal.
Secondly Sinéad Conway has never forgiven me for putting it on the night before her wedding…but thankfully we have managed to move on!

PS in case you were wondering, the pic features myself, Cathal Roche, Aileen Concannon, Eoin Troy, Austin McManus, Niamh Crowley and Dave Flynn.

What’s New?

1. WERNER HERZOG READS AI POEM: If you’re not freaked out enough already by the possibilities of AI - check these poems out. Listen here from 35 mins…

2. CLASS (!) NEW SLIGO ROVERS SCARF: Designed by the great Kevin Noone and all proceeds going to the club. Check it out here (modelled by Theme Night favourite Sarah Crummy).

3. FELIP CARBONELL’S RUMBA EXPERIENCE: Coming soon - as part of the Cairde Festival (6-13 July). A 12-piece band led by Sligo’s favourite Mallorcan Felip Carbonell - more here.

Finally…

Shostakovich described this as ‘a musical portrait of Stalin, roughly speaking’. What a piece of music!!!
Brought to my attention by a wonderful little book called ‘You spin me round' - essays on music’.

Till next time - Kieran.

Man In The Mirror...

Dear Reader –

Firstly - our finale from last month’s Vicar St gig…you just cannot contain Luke’s energy towards the end!

The Big Thing

End of the holiday. All the books read. All the reflection done. Body refreshed. Mind coiled. Going home with clear blue clarity.

But as Mike Tyson would say, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. And life can’t all be a holiday. So how is it going to be different this time? Because it always needs to be different.

So - a few mid-year thoughts - sharing in case you need to read something like this today…

Do fewer things and do them better. Make them great. Give them care. Believe.
Put the phone away. Seriously. Find a way to do it this time. Minimise your exposure to distractions while you’re doing the work that’s most important to you.
What is that work? Be honest with yourself. Find a way to give it the time it deserves.
Finally…the challenge - make something so good that it eliminates the busyness from your life.

What’s it going to be?!

Where else but Sligo?

It’s not often a Sligo man wins a gold medal at a major athletics championship.
Amazing stuff Chris O’Donnell and the team…

I can’t stop watching this race.

What’s New?

1. SLIGO JAZZ: Launched with a bang last Saturday in the Hawk’s Well. The festival itself is coming soon - starting on July 23. Find out all you need to know here.

2. JESSICA McCAUNA ON SPOTIFY: Go on - add it to your playlist…

3. OONAGH MONAHAN BOOK LAUNCH: Theme Night regular Oonagh is launching the third edition of her popular book - More Money For Jam - on next Wednesday 19th June. For anyone looking to turn their passion for food into a profitable business. You can register here.

Finally…

For anyone with kids who is sick of Baby Shark and the like…this is so much fun!

Till next time - Kieran.

The Romantic...

Dear Reader –

The first live video from Vicar St…just one word needed…Jamie!

The Big Thing

What a wonderful couple of evenings we had last Wednesday and Thursday to finish off the piano tuition term! More than 120 students played over the course of 9 concerts, watched by their families and friends and hosted by our great crew of teachers. Lots of memorable moments, including the below (full names omitted).

• Cousins K and S singing AND playing.

• Seeing J run to her father’s arms after she made a mistake and then going back to the piano once the concert was over, determined to play it correctly.

• M inspiring many of our younger students with his version of Lana Del Rey’s Radio.

• The many students who surprised us teachers with little additions they had made to their songs themselves since we last heard them.

• L’s Misty - just exquisite.

Oh and we are offering a 4-wk and 6-wk block of summer lessons starting on June 26. Email pianowithkieran@gmail.com if you’re interested.

Where else but Sligo?

Sligo got a mention in the latest novel I read.

Our hero, Cashel Greville Ross, an Englishman who spent the first eight years of his life in Co. Cork, recognised the accent of a homeless urchin on the streets of London as being from Sligo, and hence had sympathy and gave him some change.

A kind of 19th Century Forrest Gump, the lead character in this partly fictional memoir found himself in the thick of some of the key moments in the history of the time - was decorated at the Battle of Waterloo, hung out with poets Byron and Shelley in Pisa, was one of the early settlers in the state of Massachusetts and was the first European to discover what would become known as Lake Victoria, the source of the river Nile.

At the heart of his tale though was a love story - well a few - but one which dominated his life. Raphaella Rezzo was a lady of high society in Italy and they fell in love in their twenties. The life they wished for together never quite happened however and Ross regretted some of his actions for his whole life.

My favourite scene was near the end of the book - they met for the last time in their seventies the day before Ross died and they came to terms with their choices and decisions even though it meant a life (mainly) apart.

And I wondered - how much happier could Ross’ life have been if he had managed to find this peace sooner?

What’s New?

1. THE ROMANTIC: Written by William Boyd and described above - would thoroughly recommend it.

2. MORE NEW MUSIC FROM PADDY KEYES: TTN Graduate Paddy has had a prolific 2024 - listen to his latest song here.

3. THE ROAD TO VICAR ST: This radio documentary, produced by Seamie McManus and Ocean FM, was aired last Friday evening. It will be released as a podcast at a future date - I will be sure to let you know when that happens.

Finally…

While we’re on the topic of men with an interesting life story - here’s Pascal…

Till next time - Kieran.

Making us feel something...

Dear Reader –

May means end-of-year shows, and there were some crackers this month!

The Big Thing

Firstly to go back a few weeks, because in the midst of all the Vicar St madness, I never got to reflect properly on our farewell to the Teenage Theme Night class of 2024 earlier this month.

In the below picture are Flat Out - an all female band (with Fraser, right) allowed in for this one night only! They are Lucy (vocals), Anna (bass), Casey (drums) and Róisín (guitar) and came up with a great arrangement of Aerosmith’s Walk This Way in which each member of the band got to showcase what they can do.

I had a chat with them afterwards and they told me about how the band got together, the various discussions they would have about song choices and the fact that they have a festival gig in Dublin this summer to look forward to!

They told me that only for the Teenage Nights they would never have started playing together. They were extremely grateful for all the opportunities they got over the last few years and expressed that in a heartfelt manner to me. Great people, a credit to themselves and they left me with the sense of a job well done.

Best of luck to all 6th Yrs in their upcoming exams.

Where else but Sligo?

“This process is taking far too lo-o-o-ong…let’s just pick a f***ing song”!

The chorus from one of three original songs performed at the last session of the 2023-24 season of the Music Club. The other two were great in their own way, but this clever sketch brought the house down.
A tongue-in-cheek account of the arguments that can go along with members of the club managing to pick a song together, it was written and performed by David and Tish and was a fitting finale to what was a fantastic season of music.
More than 30 adults performed over the course of the year, some singing in front of others for the first time, and the atmosphere in the room is exactly what it should be and more for these monthly sessions. Thanks to everyone who contributes to this.

We always welcome new members, and if anyone wants to express an early interest for getting involved in the new season this autumn please get in touch.

What’s New?

1. PIANO WITH KIERAN SUMMER CONCERTS: Really looking forward to this Wednesday and Thursday evenings when we get to hear the results of all the hard work put in by all our great piano students this year.

2. PLAY FAIR AND WORK HARD: Or work fair and play hard? Either way there’s something for everyone in this short blog.

3. LCDA: Congrats to Lisa Cooper and everyone involved in last Sunday’s end-of-year showcase in the Hawk’s Well. A special mention to dancer Fionn McMorrow who managed to do what all great artists can - he made us feel.

Finally…

This is just gorgeous (as was the arrangement of it played beautifully by Mary at last week’s Music Club).

Till next time - Kieran.

Backstage stories...

Dear Reader –

I’d be lying if I said that lots had happened between the last letter on Saturday and this morning!
Got the car washed and the grass cut and a few other bits and pieces that had been put on the long finger…

But we did release this video on Saturday night - recorded in the Vicar St Green Room on Thursday afternoon.

The Big Thing

So due to the lack of news I thought I’d tell you a couple of stories from the day out in Dublin on Thursday…

Niamh and I had great craic down the back of the bus for a while with the younger crew. Niamh was in the thick of it all day - I was up the front but got a call to come down and take part in a particular game. As Fraser Gaine said - this is the sort of game that music nerds get up to when they get together.

The game? Pick a song, and sing along wit the track for a while. The track volume gets muted (the track keeps playing) but you have to keep singing. Then you have to see are you still in time when the track volume is raised again. Cue hilarity as very few of the participants managed to do so!

Where else but Sligo?

So much happens on a day like last Thursday that it’s impossible to hear all of the stories. And so I love hearing from people afterwards with little glimpses of what their day looked like.

Jamie Callaghan filled me in on a moment shared by himself and Emily Meades late into the gig.
They were watching Sinéad Conway sing I Will Always Love You and exchanged a look that Jamie said he will always remember. These are my words not his, but I love the image of these two incredible singers listening to a colleague, sharing a moment of awe as they themselves wait to go on and give the audience a similar feeling!

But while these singers will always catch the headlines and get the mentions from the likes of Louise Duffy (and rightly so!), the two groups that keep the show on the road backstage are the young musicians and the choir.
I love these pictures, the first one because it must be the only rest that the teenagers took all day!
And the second pic is just gorgeous - it shows choirmaster Dave Flynn and a selection of our sopranos and altos. These guys have worked so hard over the last few years to improve the standard of the choir, and so many of you commented on how fantastic they sounded on last Thursday. Well done all!

What’s New?

1. THEME NIGHT #35 IN OCTOBER: The theme is yet to be announced, but we have confirmed dates, venues and tickets for Theme Night #35 in October. Get them first here.

2. THE SIMPLE THINGS: Thanks to Michael Rooney for donating me a spare pair of black socks for the gig - I had helpfully arrived with only white ones.

3. MORNING STRUGGLES: Great pic from Steve Rogers and nicely doctored by Marie too!

Finally…

The aforementioned performance…

Till next time - Kieran.