My late mother never met Cathal Coughlan but he might as well have been one of her own sons. She saw in him a talented singer and musician who, by making his way with his group, Microdisney, during the dank, repressed years in the 1980s, was flying the flag on the international stage for two... Continue Reading →
STEVIE-TIME: CLASSIC ALBUMS AND STEVIE WONDER
We are delighted to host another guest post by David Heffernan. From Dublin, David is a vastly experienced and much-decorated music producer and director. His credits include international films on The Velvet Underground, Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder and Fleetwood Mac. ‘Shut up ?’ weren’t the first words I expected to hear from one of the most celebrated... Continue Reading →
OCCASION, OCCASION: CASTLEBAR, 1981
In July, 1981, The Mayo News carried a small advert publicising an upcoming novelty football game in Castlebar. The Jimmy Magee All-Stars, a Gaelic football team assembled from the ranks of Ireland’s light entertainment royalty, were billed to take on a selection of former inter-county players from Connacht with the aim of raising money for... Continue Reading →
SACK: THE GENERATION GAME
Sack’s excellent second album, ‘Butterfly Effect’, is the latest in a line of fine local releases from the 1990s to receive the big birthday treatment. Or, if you prefer, up-dated declarations of affection from dreary old-timers like myself, accompanied by ageless live shows in Cork, Dublin and Listowel. In marking the issue of a record... Continue Reading →
BAWL: LEST WE FORGET
The Frank and Walters, Into Paradise, Serengeti Long Walk, Kooky, Blink, We Cut Corners and Bawl: just some of the numerous Irish groups I’ve spent far too much time obsessing about over the many decades I’ve put in as a hanger-on. In the great, untouchable traditions of popular culture, they’ve all triggered my brain enough... Continue Reading →
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