MUSIC
CALENDAR 2020
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pigeons on the gate
OCTOBER 10TH 2019
Pigeons on the Gate are based in Switzerland, but the bedrock of their sound lies firmly within the Irish Folk. Their music has been described as a unique combination of "Swiss precision and Celtic groove", "melodic Folk-Pop with a touch of Ireland". With numerous radio and television appearances and a busy tour schedule, Pigeons on the Gate has attracted a growing audience over the years, playing clubs and festivals throughout Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Ireland. Their concerts are true events featuring high-energy performances and an irrestistible mix of their own writings and ancient Irish music. In summer 2016, their new EP "Take the Shot" peaked at number 9 in the Swiss charts.
JOHN BLEK
OCTOBER 17TH 2019
The ever prolific Blek has released his fourth solo studio album in as many years. Entitled Thistle & Thorn it was recorded between Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Louisville, Kentucky during the early part of 2018. It features numerous collaborations with longtime musical partners Brian Casey and Davie Ryan as well as the addition of the ethereal voice of Joan Shelley and melodious fingerstyle folk guitar of Nathan Salsburg. This is John’s most complete and ambitious work to date.
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‘Salt in the Water’ from Blek’s last album Catharsis Vol.1, was nominated for Song of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards 2018 at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. It's been a busy few years and it shows no sign of letting up. Endless tours and recording in Ireland, Europe, UK and USA keep the Irish troubadour busy.
He is a master storyteller and an inspiring live performer. His beautiful fingerstyle guitar and joyous vocal weave a tapestry that is as poignant as it is skilful. He is a true artist.
THE BURMA
OCTOBER 19TH 2019
The Burma are an indie rock n’roll band based in Cork City. Influenced by the American Indie scene of the early 2000’s and British guitar bands such as The Smiths, The Burma’s jangly guitars and bouncy basslines make for refreshingly melodic songs.
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This will be an energetic night! We are delighted to welcome The Burma back onto The White Horse Sessions atge after a fantastic, well received set at The Doolin Folk Festival last June.
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hudson taylor
OCTOBER 24TH 2019
TICKETS €25
DOORS OPEN 20:00
Irish duo, Hudson Taylor released their long-awaited debut album “Singing for strangers” in 2015. The multi-instrumentalists honed their craft busking on the streets of their hometown of Dublin as well as all over Europe and in fact gained the albums name from their love of entertaining anyone who would stop and listen. Having spent the majority of 2017 recording their next album and touring - they have just released their brand their EP “Feel it again” and are just back from touring the US having already completed a sold out European and UK tour earlier in the year. Summer of 2018 will be spent doing festivals all over Europe and the UK and Ireland.
Bear Creek To Dame Street was out 21st September & after a fantastic set at The Doolin Folk Festival last June we very excited to have Hudon Taylor play on The White Horse Sessions stage this Autumn.
sara ryan
ALBUM LAUNCH
NOVEMBER 7TH 2019
DOORS OPEN 20:00
Tickets €10
“Embrace love and the light that shines within you”. This is the message uniting the themes behind Kildare-born, Cork-based songwriter Sara Ryan’s debut album Breathe. Through ten tracks Sara invites the listener to see the light in the dark and embrace hope.
Breathe takes the listener on a journey of conscience, examining the power of social media and how detrimental it can be; detrimental to our connections with other humans and our perception of ourselves. Breathe is a social commentary speaking about subjects that need to be addressed - focusing on homelessness, direct provision and racism. Breathe embraces the struggle between feeling powerless over the injustices of the world and the injustices within the self. But the message of Breathe is hope. Sara asks the listener to go through the darkness, face it, and see the light through the cracks and follow your dreams. Nature also features as a theme throughout Breathe as a source of healing and an antidote to the damage modern society has on humankind.
Sara showcases evocative vocals within every performance. Her sound creates a captivating soundscape, revealing a darker side simmering under the surface. She has shared the stage with artists such as Mick Flannery, Jack L, John Spillane, Wyvern Lingo and Luka Bloom; growing up singing everything from Christy Moore to Rory Gallagher, Damien Dempsey to The Doors, and Joni Mitchell to Bonnie Raitt. Her influences span out to a variety of places to create her sound, which is a colourful blend of folk, blues and soul. A new sound to Ireland, compiled with compelling raw lyrics to describe our world accompanied by a sound fuelled with passion and soul.
Her debut single ‘Belle’ won her acclaim and recognition in 2017. Sara played to over two thousand people at the Doolin Folk Festival and extensively toured her Debut EP ‘Glitter Skies’. Just back from a European tour in Switzerland and German Sara is preparing to take her new music on a nationawide tour. Breathe was recorded in Monique studios cork and produced by Christian Best. Breathe is set for release October 11, 2019.a paragraph. Double click here or click Edit Text to add some text of your own or to change the font. Tell your visitors a bit about your services.
shakalak &
bog bodies
november 14th 2019
tickets €15
For one night only! what a mix of artists!
This will be an energetic, fun night! We are delighted to welcome both acts back to The White Horse Sessions stage who played fantastic, extremely well received sets at this years Doolin Folk Festival.
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Kenny's Bar will be hoppin!
Standing Room Only!
doors open 20:00
THE DIVINERS &GREENSHINE
NOVEMBER 21ST 2019
TICKETS €15
Delighted to welcome these two fantastic acts to The White Horse Sessions stage this Autumn after playing beautiful, well received sets at this years Doolin Folk Festival.
Blending invention with tradition, new compositions with old, THE DIVINERS are an innovative traditional music act. As an ensemble they work from the premise that traditional folk music is both relevant and necessary - a living archive, it contemporizes our relationship to the past in a process of composing its future. Singing and playing a range of instruments - including uilleann pipes, bouzouki, whistles, flute, guitar, bodhrán, shruti box and harmonica - the live repertoire reflects THE DIVINERS diversity. Works collected from the Irish canon, selections from various traditions, newly composed songs and tunes - all combine to offer an experience of the folk tradition that evokes a sense of passion for where we are now.
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Native to Cork City, THE DIVINERS locate their music in the space between locality and universality. In the search for shared experience, traditional music finds common ground.
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GREENSHINE is a Cork based family trio comprising Noel Shine, Mary Greene and their daughter Ellie. Their material straddles the boundaries of contemporary, folk and roots and includes many self-penned songs. Their fast picking and close harmonies are a treat to the ear. Noel is a multi-instrumentalist, turning his hand to guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and traditional whistle and this musical dexterity had seen him much in demand as a session and band player by artists as diverse as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem and funk and soul legends The Republic of Loose amongst many others. Mary brings rhythm guitar to the mix and her voice is a wonderfully versatile instrument. She has added her talents to the albums of Christy Moore, John Spillane, Mick Hanly and Frances Black as well as cult psychedelic outfit Dr. Strangely Strange. As a duo, Noel and Mary have released 3 critically acclaimed albums to date ~ The Land You Love the Best (placed no. 3 in The Irish Times Folk albums of the year of its release), Unspoken Lines (described as ‘The heart and soul of folk music, coming from a deeper well…,’ by John Spillane) while Mary’s solo, Sea of Hearts, earned an impressive 8 out of 10 in Hot Press.
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doors open 20:00
POSTPONED
no crows
november 28th 2019
tickets €15
Delighted to welcome dynamic band, NO CROWS to The White Horse Sessions stage this Autumn.
No Crows is a dynamic folk orchestra from Ireland playing acoustic music with Irish Trad, Gypsy & Mediterranean flavours.
This will be an energetic night we are really looking forward to.
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doors open 20:00
serious
mischief
christmas
party
mick flannery
DECEMBER 12th 2019
TICKETS €22.50
Absolutely delighted to welcome MIck Flannery back to the White Horse Sessions stage this Winter.
A cliché has it that you have to beware of the quiet ones because most of the time their voices speak sharper and with more range than the loudmouths. Every cliché, however, has a grain of truth in it, and so it’s fair to say that while County Cork singer-songwriter Mick Flannery is outwardly reserved, his songs are fluent in expressing layered aspects of the human condition; its flaws, triumphs, and general uncertainty. Recorded partly in Ireland with Christian Best and partly in Los Angeles with Australian producer Tony Buchen, the new album features Flannery's trademark hushed musings, big walls of sound, and sharp, insightful and thought-provoking lyrics.
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Mick Flannery is on the brink of releasing not only his new album worldwide but also overseeing the worldwide premiere of the stage musical, Evening Train (so named after his 2007 debut album). He began to write songs as a teenager in his home of Blarney, County Cork. As musical influences from albums by the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Waits seeped into his creative DNA, Mick absorbed, learned and honed the craft that would send him on his way into the world. The path was smoothed somewhat when, at the age of 19, he became the first Irish songwriter to win the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition. By the time he turned 21, he had signed to a label and released his debut album.
Threading a line throughout is Mick’s uncanny knack for blending melody with thought-provoking lyrics. Now in his mid-30s, and somewhat reflective of the musician he sings about on his self-titled album, Mick is fully aware of the internal struggles that come with trying to balance ambitions with whatever life throws their way.
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As a mature songwriter, he reasons, he’s trying to hold on to what is essential to him, and resigning himself to the fact that the naïve, passionate 20-something ‘Mick Flannery’ is gone. What comes next, he contends, is much more interesting and experienced. “You have a larger worldview and are more learned, each of which combine to create something new.
Beware of the quiet ones? You have been duly advised.
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Mick Flannery’s self-titled album was released on July 5. The stage musical, Evening Train, premiered at Cork’s Everyman Theatre on June 13, both with fantastic feedback and admiration.
Get your tickets early for his one. It is always a special evening on The White Horse Sessions stage listening to & watching Mick captivate his audience
DOORS OPEN 20:00
THE FIDDLE CASE
DECEMBER 19TH 2019
TICKETS €12
Eoin O’Neill has been playing his bouzouki in Doolin and around the world for 40 years, and since Jon O’Connell joined him in Doolin they have developed a unique approach to backing traditional music. They are joined by fiddler Adam Shapiro, whose sweet tone and deep understanding of the tune is complemented by the driving bouzouki and double bass. Kieran O’Connell completes the line-up with bodhrán and guitar, though he is known more for his unique and powerful voice.
The sound is best described as ranging from pure trad to supercharged jams, with emotional and raw renditions of original and traditional songs. The Fiddle Case have gigged and toured all over Ireland and Europe, including festival gigs as diverse as Na Fir Bolg in Belgium to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ireland. Other notable gigs include The Doolin Folk Festival and support to Stocktons Wing.
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In November 2018 the band released their latest album, Write Me A Letter, including 4 original songs with traditional ballads, jigs and reels.
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Currently, the band are in the studio working on a new album & we are delighted to have them on a cosy Thursday night on the lead up to Christmas
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​This will be a very special evening with some very talented musicians & friends.​
