Inchigeelagh Folk Club celebrates birthday in style with best of West

A SPECIAL evening featuring some of Cork’s standout songwriting talent will take place at the Inchigeelagh Folk Club on Friday March 22nd at 8pm.

The Local Songwriters Night features West Cork songwriting duo Victoria Keating with Áine O’Gorman, and singer-songwriter Polly Barrett, and it takes place on Friday March 22nd of March at 8pm in Creedon’s Hotel, Inchigeelagh.

Event organiser and folk singer Laura McCarthy will play support, and she hopes the evening will act as a showcase for local female talent in music.

‘The songwriter nights have been a tremendous success, featuring numerous Cork-based songwriters, notably Ger Wolfe, Mary Greene, Martin Leahy, and Eve Clague to name but a few. All having brought their beautiful original music to the stage.’

As artists in their own right, Áine and Victoria have an impressive archive of solo singles but together they have a unique sound.

Victoria and Áine have previously released three co-written songs including 2020’s The Poor Ground written with Jamie Kelly in response to the Tuam Babies scandal; followed by singles Brigid and 2023’s Sweet Bird and their own version of What’s Another Year.

Victoria has toured and recorded extensively as a singer with Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott and released five solo singles to great acclaim.

Áine has released four solo singles, her last These Empty Rooms, being shortlisted for the Grammy awards in the Song of the Year category.

Polly Barrett recently released her third album, Sapling be... to critical acclaim. In October 2023 it featured as album of the week on Marty In the Morning on RTÉ Lyric FM.

Polly Barrett, who will be part of the line-up on March 22nd.

Polly’s multi-instrumentalism with looping and layering of vocals creates an evocative and truly unique sound. Her latest single Sparrow was released last month.

Inchigeelagh Folk Club is itself celebrating its second birthday, having been established in March 2022.

This monthly session has attracted a wide variety of local ballad singers, songwriters, trad players, instrumentalists, storytellers and poets. Meeting at Creedon’s Hotel on the second Wednesday of each month from 9pm the Inchigeelagh Folk Club welcomes all comers.

‘No two nights have been the same. With storytellers, poets and lively intermissions from venue host Joe Creedon, everything from trad to jazz has had an airing,’ said Laura.

Tickets for the next Local Songwriters Night (March 22nd) are available on Eventbrite or at the door.