Brendan Grace on tour

Ireland’s best-loved comedian, Brendan Grace, is doing a short tour of Ireland during August and September. He is celebrating his 47th year in showbusiness and has been right up there in the top league for close on five decades.

Brendan is a national institution. The genial Dubliner is always totally at home in the rural villages and towns of Ireland, where so many have taken him to their hearts over the years.

His latest show features the best and most-requested pieces from his vast repertoire over the last 47 years. His sense of timing and ability to read an audience is legendary, and Brendan does it all with a wonderful appreciation for his ever loyal audiences.

Brendan and his wife, Eileen, have resided in America for several years, but they also spent two or three months over in Ireland where Brendan continues to tour on an annual basis. He still retains a great empathy with his followers and loves to meet and greet them after each show.

Brendan is appearing in concert at the following venues in August: Thursday 10, Galway Town Hall Theatre; Friday 11, Westport Town Hall Theatre; Thursday 17, Ashdown Park, Gorey; Friday 18, Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney; Saturday 19, Celtic Cross Hotel, Roscarberry; Friday 25, Geraldine’s GAA Club, Dundalk; Saturday 26, Termon Complex, Pettigo.

 

Clonmany rolls on

The Clonmany Street Festival in Donegal is in full swing this week. Nathan Carter is the headline act on Thursday 10 August. Traditional country fans have a real store in treat on Friday night, when Philomena Begley, Ray Lynam, Brendan Shine and TR Dallas, all backed by The Conquerors, take to the stage from 8pm onwards.

Robert Mizzell and The Country Kings top the bill on Saturday. Jimmy Buckley and band perform at the 4pm to 6pm gig on Sunday afternoon, and Michael English and his band round off the festival at 9.30pm.

 

Oram Country night

The Oram GAA Cub in Co Monaghan is hosting a major country night on Saturday, 12 August. The club is home to Ireland’s country legend, Big Tom McBride, and he will perform a guest spot during the dance.

The Outlaws will be on stage for the fundraising night and the addition of Big Tom and Margo as special guests is sure to attract considerable support from much further afield. The music gets underway shortly after 9pm, with Big Tom and Margo on stage later in the night.

 

Leitrim Night of Nostalgia

Leitrim Person of the Year 2017, Hubert McHugh from near Dromahaire, is organising a night of country nostalgia to mark the end of his term in that role.

The Bush Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon will host the Night of Nostalgia on 28 October, and it will feature Mick Flavin (celebrating 30 years in country music), Susan McCann, Paddy O’Brien, and TR Dallas.

The proceeds from the big night will be shared equally between the North West Hospice and the Irish Kidney Association, two causes very close to Hubert’s heart.

Hubert has been a psychiatric nurse for 42 years and is closely associated with the hospice and various voluntary causes over the decades. His choice as Leitrim Person of the Year was immensely popular in his beloved home county.

 

Kildare country night

A night of American and Irish country will be held in The Westgrove Hotel, Clane, Co Kildare, on Friday, 1 September. Topping the bill is singer-songwriter Frank Martin Gilligan from Texas. The guests are Matt Leavy, Niamh Lynn and Bernie Heaney. Liam Kett from K-Country, KFM Radio, is the compere and the concert starts at 8pm. Tickets are €18 and are now available from the hotel reception or by calling 087-2909960.

  

Bye Bye Love from Joe

Joe Davitt has opted for an old Everly Brothers song as his new single. Bye Bye Love has long been a standard and hails from the 1960s era. Joe and The Davitts Country Band are based in Ferns, Co Wexford. CL