For most, when St Kieran’s College in Kilkenny is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is hurling – naturally, seeing as it fields the most successful schools team in the country.
Back in the day, Davey Cashin was one of the Kieran’s boys with a hurl in hand morning, noon and night. His father is a well-known musician around Kilkenny and Davey too could always sing and play. But he didn’t think much about it as a young boy, music was just there.
It was after hearing his friend Tommy Mackey having a singsong down the back of the bus one day, that he began more frequently to pick up a banjo than a hurl. Thus starting an epic journey on the folk music scene.
“I didn’t realise that Irish music was cool. Because I grew up listening to my dad singing and playing, I was like: ‘Ah would you go away with that stuff’,” recalls Davey. “But then I heard Tommy and a couple of other friends from Kieran’s singing these old songs.
“They were having a great time on the bus, so then it became cool to me, because the other guys in the year were singing. We said: ‘Hey, we should do a few gigs at the weekends or something’. We did a session in a pub, it was more shouting than singing really. We were described in one of our earlier reviews as ‘four lads at the back of the bus having a singsong’.”
From there The Kilkennys were born. Although, initially the band was called Uisce Beatha for its first 10 years of existence, before changing to The Kilkennys to make the name more accessible to an international audience.
The lineup has also varied slightly over the years and they most definitely are no longer referred to as “four lads at the back of the bus”, now respected as musicians the world over.
Back from touring Germany, Denmark and India at the end of 2018, they have just released their new album Blowin’ in the Wind and have sold out three dates at Temple Bar Tradfest at the end of January.
The Kilkennys; Mick Martin, Davey Cashin, Robbie Campion and Tommy Mackey. /Mark Zanderink.
Working ways
Initially, the band was a part-time thing and the guys had other jobs. Sitting down with Irish Country Living, all the lads are full of craic and mischief. Davey, with a glint in his eye, tells of how Tommy’s days as a chef were the catalyst for the band becoming a full-time thing.
“Tommy, do you remember how you got out of that chef job?” smiles Davey. “We had tickets booked to go see The Wolf Tones in Killarney and Tommy was working that day. So I said, ‘we have to go on the road,’ and he said, ‘I can’t get off, the boss won’t let me’.
“You did something wrong Tommy and your boss threw a saucepan at you. So Tommy took off his apron, threw it down and we went to The Wolf Tones. He never worked in a kitchen again and that’s when we started the band.”
Davey Cashin, The Kilkennys.
Finding his passion firmly outside the kitchen, Tommy has always loved music. Although he is not from a particularly ‘traddy’ family, his grandfather was a great fiddle player. “I never knew him you see, he passed away before I was born.
“I just always loved trad music, there’s something about it. It’s a million notes going a million miles an hour. It’s impressive. People think it’s diddley-eye and all this, it’s not.
“When you sit down and listen to it, the amount of skill involved. I see the lads there playing tunes that I could never play, because I just bate a guitar,” says Tommy all too humbly. “To see the lads doing what they’re doing, it’s incredible stuff to watch like. It’s very impressive.”
Tommy Mackey, The Kilkennys.
New kids in town
Both Davey and Tommy are still going strong more than 20 years later, but they have brought new musicians in to the fold too. Although Robbie Campion has been there so long it is as if he was in the band from the beginning, everyone agrees.
“I came in on trial for a gig and 16 years later, I’m still on trial,” laughs Robbie.
From Laois, Robbie is quick to point out that not all members of the band are from Kilkenny, joking that the first chance he gets, the name is gone. Like most of the other lads, Robbie plays an array of instruments and for him, deciding to play music full time was a no-brainer.
Robbie Campion, The Kilkennys.
“It was an easy enough decision though, wasn’t it? Block laying or playing music and going around the world,” the Laois man puts it simply.
The latest addition to The Kilkennys is Mick Martin from Wexford. He joined the band three years ago and is 21. Davey and Tommy laugh that they have been playing together longer than Mick is alive. Irish Country Living asks Mick how he got on when he joined The Kilkennys. Full of banter, Mick corrects: “Sorry, when the lads joined me.”
Mick says that international audiences are very interested in one of his main instruments, the uilleann pipes. “I bought a set of drums with my confirmation money. I was playing the drums, I got into the bodhrán then,” explains Mick. “I picked up the pipes and got more and more into it. I would play anything, it could be anything. Rock on pipes is good, I have to say.”
With over 20 years behind the band, The Kilkennys are well versed in the folk scene, displaying some of the most endearing characteristics of Irish music, good craic and raw talent.
Mick Martin, The Kilkennys.
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For most, when St Kieran’s College in Kilkenny is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is hurling – naturally, seeing as it fields the most successful schools team in the country.
Back in the day, Davey Cashin was one of the Kieran’s boys with a hurl in hand morning, noon and night. His father is a well-known musician around Kilkenny and Davey too could always sing and play. But he didn’t think much about it as a young boy, music was just there.
It was after hearing his friend Tommy Mackey having a singsong down the back of the bus one day, that he began more frequently to pick up a banjo than a hurl. Thus starting an epic journey on the folk music scene.
“I didn’t realise that Irish music was cool. Because I grew up listening to my dad singing and playing, I was like: ‘Ah would you go away with that stuff’,” recalls Davey. “But then I heard Tommy and a couple of other friends from Kieran’s singing these old songs.
“They were having a great time on the bus, so then it became cool to me, because the other guys in the year were singing. We said: ‘Hey, we should do a few gigs at the weekends or something’. We did a session in a pub, it was more shouting than singing really. We were described in one of our earlier reviews as ‘four lads at the back of the bus having a singsong’.”
From there The Kilkennys were born. Although, initially the band was called Uisce Beatha for its first 10 years of existence, before changing to The Kilkennys to make the name more accessible to an international audience.
The lineup has also varied slightly over the years and they most definitely are no longer referred to as “four lads at the back of the bus”, now respected as musicians the world over.
Back from touring Germany, Denmark and India at the end of 2018, they have just released their new album Blowin’ in the Wind and have sold out three dates at Temple Bar Tradfest at the end of January.
The Kilkennys; Mick Martin, Davey Cashin, Robbie Campion and Tommy Mackey. /Mark Zanderink.
Working ways
Initially, the band was a part-time thing and the guys had other jobs. Sitting down with Irish Country Living, all the lads are full of craic and mischief. Davey, with a glint in his eye, tells of how Tommy’s days as a chef were the catalyst for the band becoming a full-time thing.
“Tommy, do you remember how you got out of that chef job?” smiles Davey. “We had tickets booked to go see The Wolf Tones in Killarney and Tommy was working that day. So I said, ‘we have to go on the road,’ and he said, ‘I can’t get off, the boss won’t let me’.
“You did something wrong Tommy and your boss threw a saucepan at you. So Tommy took off his apron, threw it down and we went to The Wolf Tones. He never worked in a kitchen again and that’s when we started the band.”
Davey Cashin, The Kilkennys.
Finding his passion firmly outside the kitchen, Tommy has always loved music. Although he is not from a particularly ‘traddy’ family, his grandfather was a great fiddle player. “I never knew him you see, he passed away before I was born.
“I just always loved trad music, there’s something about it. It’s a million notes going a million miles an hour. It’s impressive. People think it’s diddley-eye and all this, it’s not.
“When you sit down and listen to it, the amount of skill involved. I see the lads there playing tunes that I could never play, because I just bate a guitar,” says Tommy all too humbly. “To see the lads doing what they’re doing, it’s incredible stuff to watch like. It’s very impressive.”
Tommy Mackey, The Kilkennys.
New kids in town
Both Davey and Tommy are still going strong more than 20 years later, but they have brought new musicians in to the fold too. Although Robbie Campion has been there so long it is as if he was in the band from the beginning, everyone agrees.
“I came in on trial for a gig and 16 years later, I’m still on trial,” laughs Robbie.
From Laois, Robbie is quick to point out that not all members of the band are from Kilkenny, joking that the first chance he gets, the name is gone. Like most of the other lads, Robbie plays an array of instruments and for him, deciding to play music full time was a no-brainer.
Robbie Campion, The Kilkennys.
“It was an easy enough decision though, wasn’t it? Block laying or playing music and going around the world,” the Laois man puts it simply.
The latest addition to The Kilkennys is Mick Martin from Wexford. He joined the band three years ago and is 21. Davey and Tommy laugh that they have been playing together longer than Mick is alive. Irish Country Living asks Mick how he got on when he joined The Kilkennys. Full of banter, Mick corrects: “Sorry, when the lads joined me.”
Mick says that international audiences are very interested in one of his main instruments, the uilleann pipes. “I bought a set of drums with my confirmation money. I was playing the drums, I got into the bodhrán then,” explains Mick. “I picked up the pipes and got more and more into it. I would play anything, it could be anything. Rock on pipes is good, I have to say.”
With over 20 years behind the band, The Kilkennys are well versed in the folk scene, displaying some of the most endearing characteristics of Irish music, good craic and raw talent.
Mick Martin, The Kilkennys.
Read more
Music through the generations
Electronica musician Daithí on being true to himself
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