Ciarán to launch dance band

Plans are well advanced for the launch of a new dance band with Ciarán Rosney as lead singer. The big night will be held at the Glencarn Hotel, Castleblayney, on 9 March.

The Offaly man is looking forward to the new challenge, which comes after a number of years of carving out his own niche as a popular solo act. Songs like Willie’s Shoes, I Wish I Was in Nashville, Written in Stone and a duet with Margo, My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man, have all added to the recognition factor for Ciarán.

A new album and a major promotional campaign will be part of the build-up to the big launch night in Castleblayney in March.

Record times for Sylane and Galway

Tribute songs about the Galway hurlers and the Sylane club team feature on a new 14-track album that has just gone on release. Half of the songs are dedicated to the Sylane teams celebrating the success of the current panel that won the Connacht Junior A title in recent weeks, as well as previous successes carved out back in 1984 and 1991. Rita Flaherty and Mattie Keane composed the Sylane numbers.

Galway the Champions is a tribute to the conquering heroes of 2017, who won the All-Ireland and national league titles. It features The Conquerors, with renowned guitarist Frankie Colohan on vocals.

Country songs are provided by Eamon Hughes who sings the Pretty Little Girl from Omagh and Big Sam Curley with Mama Tried. Others include The Fields of Athenry sung by Emma Brady, England’s Motorway rendered by Beano O’Neill, and Reanna and Ava Collins singing Where I Belong. The song Mary From Loughrea, recorded for a previous album by the late Joe McDonagh, former Galway hurler and later president of the GAA, also features on the album. The proceeds from the CD are in support of Sylane Hurling Club.

Orlaith set to Bloom

Galway singer Orlaith Keane has just issued her first single release. The song Bloom, composed by Johnny B and Iggy Broderick, was produced by Stephen Doherty in his studio in Foxford, with the support of Pat Coyne. Orlaith recorded some songs along with her father, Matt, on his two previous albums. She is a niece of well-known trad and folk singers, Seán and Dolores Keane.

Hangin’ Out with The Outlaws

The Outlaws have just released their new album, Hangin’ Out, a collection of 11 songs that showcase the talents of a band that tends to stand out from all the others on the country music circuit.

“We try through our music to bring excitement, freshness and the unexpected to our recordings,” says band-leader Seán Hughes.

Five of the songs are from the pen of Seán, while others include such favourites as Jessie James, Streams of Whiskey, and Tom Dooley. The others are Drinking Champagne, The Girls From Texas and the old Del Shannon song, Let’s Dance.

The Castleblayney-based band includes in their ranks Dermot McBride, who is son of the legendary Big Tom. The Outlaws have cultivated their own niche in the country market with a distinctive sound that marks them out from so many others on the road. The new album should further enhance their appeal with followers of real country music.