Galway City will once again become a lively hub for the public music its renowned for this week, during a four day St Patrick’s Day festival.
Enjoy the return of live music, with four fun-filled days of concerts by local musicians and artists, who will capture the buzz of Galway’s musical heritage over the weekend in Eyre Square, in the festival village.
It’s been a rough two years, with many celebrations an festivals cancelled or moved to the digital realm.
This St Patrick’s Day is the first major public celebration we’ve got to enjoy since the lifting of restrictions, and Galway City Council has organised a wonderful return to public life.
The music will start on St Patrick’s Day itself, Thursday March 17, and continue to the end of the weekend.
This year, in recognition of the fact that we all deserve a bit of a break, the government has decided that this coming Friday will also be a public holiday.
The line-up includes performances by Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist, Ultan Conlon, a solo performance by critically acclaimed songwriter, Niamh Regan and the award-winning composer and performer Anna Mullarkey will weave electronics with piano and voice.
Get to the roots of Ska and Rock Steady music with nine-piece Galway outfit Big Jelly. And experience the spellbinding vocals of Tracy Bruen as she blends and bends folk and pop.
Galway’s “Super group”, BackWest will perform a lively set on St Patrick’s Day, which will open with the 5 piece multi-instrumentalist Indie/Folk band the Amazing Apples.
They will be followed by a performance of traditional Irish dancing by members of the renowned Hession School of Irish Dance.
A day of Jazz on March 20th will feature some of Galway’s favourites: Galway Bay Jazz Band, Galway’s most original act 4 Men and a Bass, and Aengus Hackett & Barbara Vulso.
Aengus is an acclaimed guitarist and one of Ireland’s leading jazz musicians, who will be joined on stage by Galway’s own Queen of Soul,
Completing the quartet will be a stellar rhythm section of Dan Bodwell, one of Ireland’s leading double bassists, and acclaimed USA drummer Matt McAllister.
Other acts include local folk group Rón, folk singer-songwriter Sonny Casey, and the iconic duo Katie O’ Connor & Steven Sharpe.
The acts announced so far for the four day celebration are:
March 17
15.00 – 16.00 | Amazing Apples
16.30 – 17.00 | Hession School of Irish Dance
17.30 – 18.30 | BackWest
March 18
14.30 – 15.30 | Rón
16.00 – 16.45 | Sonny Casey
17.00 – 18.00 | Niamh Regan
18.15 – 19.30 | Anna Mullarkey
March 19
14.30 – 15.15 | Katie O’ Connor & Steven Sharpe
15.30 – 16.30 | Tracy Bruen
16.45 – 17.45 | Big Jelly
18.00 – 19.00 | Ultan Conlon
March 20
14.30 – 15.30 | 4 Men & a Bass
16.00 – 17.00 | Aengus Hackett & Barbara Vulso
17.30 – 18.45 | Galway Bay Jazz Band
